A Knight's Journey
by SallyOn
Summary: Keith tries to solve the mystery of his heritage, while dealing with the fact that his best friend is marrying the woman he loves. Rated M for sexual scenes and language.
1. Chapter 1

_**7/17/12 Author's Note: When I posted this story yersterday, I posted the wrong chapter! Sorry for the confusion.**_

_**Author's Note: This story is the sequel to 'All The Right Moves', and in the timeline of that story, the beginning of this story would dovetail with the end of chapter 25. After the opening chapter, this story will parallel 'All The Right Moves', and then go forward. However, you don't need to read the previous story, but the pairings, and certain references, will make more sense. For those of you who watch 'Voltron Force' any references stop after the episode that I took the title for my story from. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron, characters, etc. This is a work of fiction!**_

_**A M Reflections**_

It was around 10:00 in the morning, and Keith was sitting in his office waiting for the axe to fall. He still could not believe that he'd actually said what he had to Allura yesterday, and under the circumstances! The whole eight and a half years he had known her, he'd played out, in his mind, how he would declare his love for her. Not one of them ever came close to that awkward scene in her study!

Keith had etched in his memory the first time he had seen Allura, as she came down the candle lit stairs, in the ruined castle. Her dress had been pink, and her gold, curly hair had been off set with the platinum and sapphire cornet of the heir to the throne of Arus. Her dark blue eyes, gleaming like the sapphires in her headdress, had glowed with admiration as she looked at him.

He still remembered the conversation that Coran had had with him, Lance, and Sven. The Prime Minister explained in no uncertain terms that Allura was heir to the throne, and the last member of the ruling family. She was a virgin, and must be a virgin when she married, to ensure the purity of the royal line. Coran had also explained the religion of Arus, but Keith really had not paid attention. Earth had not been religious for centuries. All that he knew was that Allura was a future queen, and must marry a proper consort.

Keith had spent three years trying not to fall in love with her, and then the next five years trying to forget about being in love with her. After the fiasco with lions, and Black's disappearance, he had taken it on himself to hunt for the missing Lion. The only person he had told was Lance, and he still didn't know how Lance had explained it to the team.

For Keith it was a personal mission that ate at him, with an intensity that he didn't understand. He wasn't sure if it was because Black was his Lion, or because he was the team leader. All that he knew was that his life was on hold until he had found the missing Lion.

When it had all come together, and Allura had welcomed him back with a hug, Keith was sure that they were ready to move to the next level. Unfortunately, it had not worked out as he thought, and Lance was a big part of the reason why! Lance and Allura, along with Pidge had pretty much run everything while Keith was gone. Hunk had been Pidge's assistant, but Lance and Pidge had orchestrated the bulk of it.

Keith was very sensitive to the fact that Lance had better relationships with the court officials, as well as the servants. Lance's father had held several high government posts for the Alliance, and had interacted with Coran in his statesman role. Lance was also quite comfortable with the idea of servants, and the castle staff adored him. Lately, with the mess about Daniel and Vince, Lance had bonded with Fredericks on a level that Keith would never achieve.

He had been very suspicious of what Allura and Lance might have been up to since he was gone, but ultimately consoled himself with the thought that Allura was too high minded for a casual relationship. The turning point for Keith had been when he'd found out about his Arusian linage. He still wondered why he'd been raised on earth, when he was really from an old Arusian family.

With the new found knowledge of his Arusian heritage, he and Allura had bonded over the shared history of their bloodlines. He had loved spending time with her, and discussing Arusian policy and the rebuilding of Arus. Pidge had been a big a part of that, but he'd never had a problem with him.

He had occasionally been annoyed that Pidge had enjoyed the same easy relationship with the Arusians that Lance had, but Keith knew that at the end of the day that he was head of the Voltron Force. Pidge didn't threaten him on the level that Lance did. Only in retrospect, did he understand what a force Pidge really was.

Keith brought his mind back to the scene yesterday, outside of Sick Bay. Allura had come out of the room, wearing the mantle of the Queen of Arus, and throwing her weight around. He had been overawed by her, and remembered everything he had learned about the Knights of Arus. Their duty had been to protect the monarch, and uphold the dignity of the ruling family. Keith, torn between Voltron, Allura, and the Knights of Arus, had, he knew, chosen badly.

He saw Lance in his mind, and how he had responded to the situation. "She is a cold hearted bitch! Maybe you won't do something about it, but I will!" Lance stated and took off after Allura. Keith knew that he would never have treated, or responded to Allura that way. He was both appalled and envious that Lance was strong enough to tackle the situation head on.

Later that afternoon Keith had gone up to talk to Allura about everything that had gone on. Lance had told him about Pidge and Larmina several weeks ago. Pidge had done so much for Arus, and was a much better choice for Larmina than Bandor. Keith had no issue with Pidge and Larmina sleeping together.

Pidge was the most upright person he knew, and Larmina with all of her Arusian standards, only respected high level intellect and physical strength. Pidge had both of those, and he had rebuilt her planet. Keith didn't understand why Allura was upset about the relationship. When Allura had brought the subject up, he had seen it has natural segue into his feelings for her.

Keith had been struggling with his response to the scene in sick bay, and when he arrived at her study he had been overwrought in his emotions. Her sentry had looked at him like he was garbage, and had grilled him on why he was there. Keith didn't know that he was going to pay the price for what had happened earlier that day!

Rigsby, the Sentry was in fact annoyed that Commander McClain had blown past him like he wasn't even there. Further, Count Fredericks had taken the Commander's side in the issue. Rigsby had been waiting for Her Majesty to call him into her study and dress him down. His father had been King Alfor's sentry, and he understood what his role was.

He was by now wondering why Her Majesty had not taken him to task. The fact that Commander Kogane, who didn't like the servants, or anyone else of the castle staff, was in front of him was too much. He couldn't get annoyed with Her Majesty, Count Fredericks, or Commander McClain, but Commander Kogane didn't fall under that protection.

Keith brought his mind back to the present, not wanting to think about yesterday in Allura's study. She'd seemed slightly off to him, but he figured it was because of Larmina's condition. He rather wondered what would have happened if Dr. Gorman had not interrupted. Keith, at the back of his mind, did not want to think about what Lance's reaction would have been to Dr. Gorman interrupting him!

His train of thought was broken by a message window that opened up on his computer. It was a text message from Allura, asking him to meet her in the 'Sundial Garden' at 10:30. Keith realized that he was going to spend the next half hour stewing about what she was going to say, and also trying to figure out where the 'Sundial Garden' was.

Allura, up in her study, finished sending the message to Keith about their meeting. She'd meant to do it earlier, but time had gotten away from her. After she'd left Lance Allura had stopped into Sick Bay, to check on Larmina now that she was awake. She knew she still needed to talk to the girl, but that could wait until later. Allura had given Larmina a quick hug, and then Dr. Gorman had come in, so she'd excused herself.

She'd really meant to talk to Keith next, but had decided that Coran needed to be briefed on the situation. Allura thought about everything her Father had told her, about needing to take care of herself first. She knew that Coran liked Lance, but didn't know what his reaction would be to their relationship. It turned out that Allura had nothing to worry about it; Coran had been overjoyed when she'd told him.

Coran told her that she'd made a good choice, and he would let the Dominion Council know right away. Allura must have looked surprised at his response, and Coran commented on that. When she'd tried to explain he'd told her almost what her Father had said to her. Allura privately thought that not only had she been a bitch, she'd been an idiot too!

"Did you send the message?" Lance asked, bringing her back to the present. He was sitting on the sofa in her study, his long legs resting on the coffee table in front of him. He was looking at her intently as he said it. Allura rose up from her desk, and came over to sit next to him. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she ended up on his lap.

After he finished kissing her, he adjusted his position, and said "You really need to get some comfortable furniture in here!" Allura snuggled against him and said "I'm going to have Larmina redecorate the study, and my." She caught herself and went on "Our bedroom. She did a wonderful job with her room! If you have any requests, we should talk about it."

Lance lightly rubbed his nose by her ear and said in a low voice "I like the sound of that; our bedroom!" Allura realized the implication of what he was saying and blushed bright pink. Lance laughed and said "I think we will need to spend lots of time there!" He stroked her hair and got serious all of a sudden. "So, did you send the message?" He asked again. "I am meeting him at 10:30 in the Sundial Garden." Allura told him with a sigh. She said "I hope he is still speaking to us when I'm done!"

"I hope so too! I'd like him to be my best man at our wedding!" Lance declared, and thinking about being married to Lance caused Allura to smile. "Thank goodness Count Fredericks agreed to a quick wedding!" She declared, and Lance said "It seems he has had it planned since you were eighteen! Of course, everyone is going to think you're pregnant."

Her eyes flew open wide and she sat up as she looked at him. "What do you mean?" She asked aghast! Lance laughed and said "The usual reason for quick weddings is because of pregnancy, not because the bride will only have sex if she is married!" Allura huffed and stood up, saying in annoyed tone "Lance McClain, I have told you that I have to set a moral example!" She tossed her head, which caused her gold hair to sparkle in the sunlight.

Lance slowly and appreciatively eyed her up and down, and she saw how he was looking at her. "Stop it right now!" Allura declared, tossing her head again. "Stop what, Darling?" He said in his slow, lazy way that made her heart race. "You are looking at me like I have no clothes on!" She told him, raising her chin, and looking off the side.

"Darling, I love it when you do that cold, royal attitude!" Suddenly Allura felt Lance pulling at her, and she went from being on top of him to him on top of her, as she lay on the sofa. "I get a secret thrill out of knowing that only I get to see the sexy, wild side of you!" He was kissing her deep and hard, as his hands played over her body.

She didn't understand it, but her body was moving against him with a will of its own. Her heart felt like it was going to explode it was beating so fast, while her core felt like it was on fire. When he stopped kissing her, she managed to say "How do you do that, and how do you know I have a sexy, wild side?" Lance sat up, and extended his hand to help her up.

He laughed with a sensual tone as he said "I do it because I can! And I know you have a sexy, wild side with how you respond to me. Our honeymoon is going to be a lot of fun!" Allura was busy smoothing her hair, and straightening her clothes. "Well, until I tell Keith nothing is happening, Lance!" She said, and then a thought occurred to her. "You need to tell your parents! I hope they are all right with it."

Lance smiled and said "My parents adore you! And they will be glad I'm finally settling down. I was thinking for the last part of our honeymoon, I will take you to South Carolina." Allura smiled and said "I'd like that, Lance. You used to say that you wanted to show me where you grew up!" She reached over and kissed him.

"What about the first part?" Allura asked, with narrowed eyes. "Darling, that will be a surprise! Now, you have a meeting in the Sundial Garden. Be kind to him, he is a good man!" Lance told her, with a soft smile. He had always known, at the back of his mind, that getting Allura would mean hurting his best friend. Lance wished now he would have spoken to her while Keith was gone. They would already have been a couple, and Keith would not have spent the last six months getting his hopes up.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: I am 'recycling' some of the gardens from a previous story, 'The Best of Plans and Friends'. The ideas for the gardens have all come from various historic houses in America and England. I am also recycling some of the household personnel from 'The Best of Plans and Friends'. Please do not mind, as I can only come up with so many ideas at a time.**_

_**KathDMD, E.M. Blaine, & Myra the Sark: Good to have you guys reading! Thank you!**_

_**Count Only Sunny Hours**_

Once Keith stopped stewing about what Allura was likely to say to him, he'd had to figure out where the Sundial Garden was. The Rose Garden, with its white colonnade and gazebo that over looked the lake was easy to place, being off to the side of the Castle; the side facing the lake. The Maze Garden, with the elaborate dolphin statue in the center was on the other side of the Castle.

He was mentally thankful that she'd not chosen that one, as it took over half an hour to get through the maze to the fountain. Keith had always thought the fountain over the top and too elaborate but no one else agreed with him. Someone had told him the inspiration was some fountains in an old royal palace on earth, but Keith wasn't interested in following up.

Keith headed out of his office, and up to the main floor of the Castle. He became aware of several groups of servants standing together in doorways talking in low tones. It stopped as he got closer, and then when he walked past them Keith could feel their eyes on him. The low buzzing started again, just as he was out of earshot.

Reasoning it was something to do with Larmina and Pidge; he didn't give it much thought. In reality, he didn't give the servants too much thought anyway. Keith knew the servants found him annoying, since he wouldn't let them do anything for him. He didn't see the point of servants, thinking you should do you own work. He also was sure that they spied and gossiped on everyone.

Higgins, the butler, was standing with a man dressed in the dark blue household livery, trimmed with gold piping. Keith knew Higgins, because he'd served tea to him and Allura several times. The first time he'd helped himself, instead of waiting for Higgins to do it. Keith had realized his mistake when, the next time he'd had tea with Allura, Lance had been there too. Lance waited quite properly while Higgins passed it to Allura, who passed it to him. Lance had also addressed Higgins by name and asked about his latest grandson.

Keith didn't know why that memory popped into his mind, and he pushed it out. "Excuse me, can you tell me where the Sundial Garden is?" Keith asked the men, mentally kicking himself for not knowing where the place was. Higgins gave him a knowing look and said "Firth, would you escort Commander Kogane to the door for the garden?" Well, Keith reasoned, at least I know the man's name. "Yes, Mr. Higgins." Firth nodded at Higgins, and turned to Keith "Commander, follow me please!"

Firth showed him to a set of doors between the formal reception rooms, and opened one of them for him. Keith really wanted to tell the man he could open the door himself, but decided not to go there. He thanked the man, and went outside. The formal reception rooms on the main floor overlooked a series of terraces that opened to a sloping green lawn. Off to the side was a square of manicured shrubs, enclosing formal flower gardens laid out in a circular design. In the center was a large brass armillary sundial and sphere set on the top of the outstretched paw of a carved marble lion.

The brass work was well done, and looking closely at the sundial he saw the inscription 'Count Only Sunny Hours'. Keith thought it was a rather stupid sentiment; if he did that he would have very little hours to remember. He then wondered what that said about his life as it was. There was bench opposite the marble statue, and he sat down to wait for Allura.

Allura was late getting to the garden, because of Lance and the sofa, but she really didn't care. She couldn't believe how Lance made her feel, and how wonderful it was to be with him. She hung on to that memory as she entered the garden and saw Keith already there. Allura thought about everything that had happened since yesterday, and realized that she wasn't the same person that Keith had declared his love to.

She saw the world differently now, and people also. She looked at Keith, understanding his strengths and weaknesses. Allura hoped that he would still be her friend, as well as Lance's. She didn't want to be the cause of the end of their relationship. She walked into the garden, and smiled at Keith.

Keith saw her and thought how beautiful she looked as she came over to him. Allura had on a pink dress that reminded him of the one she was wearing when they first met. Her hair was still gold, and now that she wasn't wearing the voltcom lenses, her eyes were the deep blue that he'd always admired. Suddenly he was more nervous than he'd ever been, but also very sure of how much he loved her.

"I'm sorry Keith; I didn't mean to keep you waiting!" Allura began, and added "Did you find the garden all right? It was just recently finished, and Pidge designed the sundial." She realized she was babbling, and took a deep breath. Keith admired the sundial, not saying what he thought of the inscription. Hearing that Pidge chose it though, made sense. Pidge was almost as upbeat as Lance, and Keith knew that both had lots of sunny hours to count. The thought depressed him again, and he decided that he hated the sundial.

Allura came over and sat next to Keith on the bench, and he smelled something floral. He didn't know if it was her, or the garden, but it smelled nice. The thought of holding Allura was overwhelming, and he knew he didn't want to wait any longer. "Allura, I meant what I said yesterday, in the study. I love you! I have loved you from the first moment I saw you!"

She looked at him, declaring his love, and felt so sad for him. Allura knew she needed to stop him before he went any further. "Keith, please don't!" She exclaimed, and he looked at her with concern. "I am very honored that you feel that way about me, but I don't have those same types of feelings for you!" Allura took a deep breath, hoping she was going to do this right.

"Keith, you are a good friend, and I know that you care about Arus. I don't want to lose our friendship." She said slowly, and gave him the news that would hurt "I'm engaged!" Keith looked at her in shock, his emotions in a jumble from what he'd just heard from her. "Wow! This is very sudden!" He managed to say; surprised he could muster even that.

Allura reached out her hand, and put it on his arm as she said "The formal announcement is this afternoon, and the wedding will be in about a month!" She saw Keith's eyes widen, and a shadow passed over his face. "That seems awfully fast, Allura. Are you." It was Allura's turn for her eyes to widen, as she realized what he was thinking. _'Good lord'_, she thought,_ 'Lance had been right about what people would say!_'

"No, I am not pregnant! We love each other very much, and feel like we have waited long enough!" Allura declared, removing her hand from his arm. Keith got a deep sinking feeling in his stomach as she said that, and his worst fear was confirmed with her next sentence. "Keith, I'm marrying Lance. I know this is hard for you right now, but I hope that with time you will understand."

Keith felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, and the wind knocked out of him. He felt like he was two different people, one that was very hurt, and one that was very angry. He remembered Lance outside of sickbay yesterday, and what he'd said about Allura. "You're going to marry Lance? He called you a cold hearted bitch!" Keith said vehemently, striking out with his angry side.

Allura sat up very straight and narrowed her eyes at Keith. She was all set to tell him that Lance had told her that she was a bitch with teeth. Then she remembered what else Lance had told her. _'Allie, I know who you are, and what you are, and it doesn't bother me in the least! I'm your friend, and we have always been ourselves with each other._'

Suddenly she didn't want to share that conversation with Keith, especially the Keith who was looking at her with eyes filled with rage. Allura was all set to say something else, but Keith went on "I'm surprised you want to marry someone who's slept around as much as he has. I wouldn't consider him acceptable Prince Consort material!"

She saw what he was doing and didn't like it, and knew that tomorrow he wouldn't like it either. Allura had always wondered what was underneath Keith's reserved behavior, but she wished she hadn't found out like this. "Stop it right now Keith! I know that you are angry and hurt, and have every reason to be. But I am still your friend, and Lance is still your best friend! Please don't do this, you will regret it badly!"

The hurt side of Keith saw the intensity in her blue eyes, and that side of his brain managed to get control of the other side. He turned away for a minute, and took a deep breath, before he turned to face her. "If I stay calm, will you tell me why you are marrying him? Have you been going out with him behind my back? What about all the time we spent together?" Keith asked, wanting to understand how it had all happened.

Allura felt like Keith was violating her privacy by asking, but knew that he needed some explanation. She saw that he was calmer, and at the back of her mind was shocked at how fast his mood switched. She was sure the anger and rage were still in there, and knew that she would never look at Keith the same way again.

"Keith, I enjoyed our time together talking about Arus. I value your opinions, and know that you want to understand about your family." She paused, and then said "I have a lot of responsibilities, and I work very hard. I need someone who is going to help me with that. And not by making me work harder, but by making sure I take care of myself. I need someone to laugh with, someone to have fun with. I need companionship, not another state counselor!"

Her words tore at his heart worse than when he'd lost Black Lion. He thought about all the time he'd spent discussing Arus, thinking that was what she wanted. Keith thought about the five years away from Arus, and how he thought of Allura. "Allura, I love you! The five years I was gone I thought about you all the time!"

Allura's eyes got an incredulous look and she stood up from the bench, and looking down at him said in a cold tone "Really, you thought about me all the time? You couldn't even come say goodbye to me before you left!" She still remembered when Lance had come to tell her what Keith had decided to do. It had hurt that he couldn't tell her himself, but had Lance do it.

She thought about how Lance had held her when she'd cried, after he'd told her the news. After the tears stopped he'd made her get dressed up, and taken her out to a very fancy restaurant for drinks and dinner. Lance had made her laugh with funny stories of him and Keith at the Academy. Thinking about that now, Allura wished she'd not wasted the last five years.

Keith was sorry he'd brought it up, but decided it would be good to clear the air. "Allura, I knew had to go find Black myself. I didn't know why, but I knew that I had to do it. I couldn't even explain it to myself, so how was I going to explain it to you? And I didn't know how to say goodbye to you!"

She turned her head away for a minute, looking at the sundial, and its inscription 'Count Only Sunny Hours'. It was a play on words, but also an apt sentiment and she knew that Lance would give her lots of sunny hours. Allura vowed to herself to do the same for him; but first she had to take care of Keith.

"I think we've said enough, Keith. I hope that in time you will accept how things worked out. Please don't be mad at Lance about it! He cares about you, and didn't want to hurt you." Allura said in a slow tone, and added "I'm going to leave now, as I'm sure you want some time alone. I'm sorry, Keith!" She turned and walked out of the garden, the morning sun making her hair sparkle like gold.

Keith sat there on the bench, looked at the sundial, and wanted to knock it down. He knew that he wouldn't be counting this hour!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: I meant to get this chapter up sooner, but it took more work than I thought it was going to. It is also rather long, with a lot happening, because I want to move along. The main intent of this story is Keith's search for his family history, and I want to get to that sooner, rather than later.**_

_**To my reviewers, thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it!**_

_**Welcome to whskykitty74! Glad you like the story!**_

_**After Effects**_

Lance was in Red's den, talking to the Lion about everything that had happened. Red was happy for his pilot and thought that to him, adding _'the Queen Lioness has chosen well!_' Lance smiled and thought _'I think so too, but I'm biased!_' Red mentally nodded his head, and thought _'she needs your strength, and your honesty._'

'_Well at least I have a set of balls, which is more than those ministers all have! I will say though that Fredericks is a good man!'_ Lance thought, and Red responded '_He thinks highly of you also. As far as balls, yes you do have them!_' The Lion added '_you know that you have to clean up your act!_' Lance agreed and said _'but she is worth it! However, I will still play cards and smoke the occasional cigar! Plus, she likes Irish whiskey too!_'

Red Lion laughed again, and then asked _'where is your mate?_' Lance sighed and thought _'she is not my mate until we have the ceremony!_' Lance understood Allie's reasons, and knew that it was what the people of Arus expected. She was the Queen, and he wasn't going to tarnish her reputation in any way. Plus, this was going to be his home, and he didn't want to get off to a bad start. Red Lion thought _'you don't need to worry about that. You are liked and respected on Arus. You have always treated people well, and have been a good friend to the Queen all those years.'_

'_Just don't blow it right?_' Lance thought to Red, and then answered the Lion's earlier question. _'Allie should be in the garden, telling Keith about us. I'll need to talk to him too! I don't want to lose his friendship, but I love Allie so much!_' Red Lion felt his pilot's concern and said _'if it is any consolation, Black understands what has happened and feels it is for the best!'_

That surprised Lance, and he communicated that thought to the Lion, who thought back _'Black's pilot has a journey of his own to make. He is upset about so many things, and this will just make it worse at first. In the long run though it will all be for the best. The Lions know this!_' Lance huffed, not liking it when Red did his future speak thing. He was glad to hear that things were would out for Keith eventually, but it sounded like it was going to be a hard, bumpy ride before they did. He started to get concerned about Allie.

Allura managed to walk calmly out of the garden, and up to her study, smiling at Rigsby. She went into the room, and closed the door behind her. Only then did she start to shake, as she thought about the scene in the garden. She went over to the tray in the corner, where the drinks were, and poured herself a shot of Irish whiskey that she drank in one gulp. Allura could still see the anger and rage in Keith's eyes, and was upset about it.

She decided she wanted to talk to Lance, both to have him hold her, and to tell him about how the meeting with Keith went. She paged him on her voltcom, and he told her that he was in Red's den. He offered to come up, but she asked if she could come down, wanting to get away from the Castle. She heard Lance laugh and say that he and Red would be glad to see her.

Down in Red Lion, Lance was waiting for Allie and wondering how things had gone in the garden. She'd sounded rather upset, so he was worried. _'Your mate is here_' Red thought to him, and Lance thought _'why don't you go take a nap!_' Red thought back in an annoyed tone _'I will know what the conversation is anyway. I'm going to go recharge!_'

Allie came into Red and smiled when she saw Lance waiting for her. She went up to him, and put her arms around him, enjoying the way he felt. "Allie, how did it go?" Lance asked, as he put his arms around her shoulders and stroked her hair. He felt her shudder, and he looked down at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

Her eyes got very round when Lance said that, and Allie wondered if he'd seen the side of Keith that she had just seen. "I had no idea he could get so angry, Lance!" She said, burying her head in his shoulder. "Fuck it all! What happened? I knew I should have gone with you!" Lance declared. He would have struck Keith if he was there.

"No Lance, it wasn't; he didn't; it didn't go well!" Allie said as her shoulders sagged, and she went on "He got angry and said some things, but then he got all calm again!" She had decided she wasn't going to tell him what Keith had said, knowing that it wouldn't help the situation.

Allie stepped back a bit to look up at Lance and asked "Did you know he had that in him?" She watched as his soft brown eyes clouded over for a moment, and then he nodded his head. "Darling, come sit down, we need to talk!" Lance led her over to the pilot's chair and sat down, while pulling Allie into his lap.

"I've known Keith since our first week at New West Point, and I knew what an upright, good guy he was right away!" Lance smiled as he remembered that time; he continued on "I was a spoiled screw up, with a wild side even then! At the time I thought it was a bad joke that I'd been put with someone like Keith, but I came to understand that it was the best thing that ever happened to me!"

Allie liked sitting in Lance's lap, and gave him a sweet smile as she said "You've told me about some of activities!" Lance smiled endearingly at her. He got back to his story and said "I can only imagine what Keith thought of me! In spite of that, we became friends, and then best friends! He slapped some sense into me, something that I needed very badly. I only graduated because of him!"

She gave him an intent look and said "But there was another side to him, right?" Lance nodded, his auburn hair falling forward as he did. Allie took her hand and pushed it back, liking the way it felt. "It was after our first semester final exams, and we, along with Sven went out to celebrate!" Allie gave him a sharp look and said "You all got drunk, right?"

Lance laughed and said "Dead stinking drunk, darling! We'd been in town, and on the way back to the Academy we got hassled by some townies, as we referred to the people who lived there. Long story short, Keith went off and beat up one of the guys! I had never seen that much rage or fury before!"

"Did he say anything about it, afterwards?" Allie asked, having no problems believing that Keith could be like that. Lance decided to tell her what Keith had told him, and sworn him to secrecy about. She needed to know, so that she would understand. "It turns out that his parents had been robbed and murdered in front of him, when he was eight years old! They never caught the guys who did it, and Keith was put into foster care."

Allie cuddled up to Lance, and thought about what he'd just told her. She now felt very sad for Keith, and understood some of his actions, from over the years, better. "That was the end of his childhood, wasn't it?" Lance pulled her tighter against him, and said "Yes it was. It changed him forever, and then he was bounced around in foster care, because of his anger issues. I think he finally shut all his emotions down, so they wouldn't get him into trouble."

It was warm against Lance, and she would have been happy to stay there all day, but knew it wasn't very realistic. "What do you want to do about him?" Allie asked, and Lance kissed her on the forehead and said "He'll be under control by tonight, so I'll go talk to him then." He got a smile on his face, and said "By the way I've talked to my parents, and they are over the moon! My Mother is very impressed that you are taking me on!"

That made Allie giggle, and she said "Oh, I think I'm going to have lots of fun!" Lance kissed her and then said "We should go tell Larmina before she hears it from the servants!" Allie nodded her head, saying "But it's not like she can do any eavesdropping right now though!" Lance put his hand under her chin and said "I thought we decided you weren't going to get after her about that. There is a saying on earth, that people who live in glasses houses shouldn't throw bricks!"

She got a very sheepish look on her face and said "Touché'! And that is one of the reasons I am marrying you! You are a good influence on me!" Lance threw his head back and laughed saying "You will so have to tell my Father that! He will get a good laugh from that!" Allie had met Lance's Father, and the man was an older version of his son. She could see him laughing about her comment.

When they got to sickbay they saw that Larmina was alone, watching something on a holoscreen. She looked over when they walked in, and when she saw them holding hands she almost screamed! "I told Pidge that Lance would be the one!" They hugged, and Larmina congratulated them, adding to Lance "However, I am not calling you uncle, just so you understand!"

Lance pretended to be hurt, but then agreed with her, that it would be weird. Allura looked at her niece and asked "I was hoping you would be my maid of honor!" Larmina was touched, and tried to hug her Aunt again, but was too sore. "Take it easy there, you need to get well. Where is Pidge?" Lance said to her, and Larmina smiled and said "I told him to go get some sleep. He sat with me the whole night!"

"He loves you very much, Larmina!" Allura said to her. Larmina couldn't believe how happy her Aunt looked, happier than she'd seen her look in a long time. Pidge had already told her what her Aunt had said, and Larmina knew that they would talk privately too. She couldn't hold a grudge against Allura, knowing that she was only trying to look out for her niece.

Larmina smiled at both of them and asked "It is almost lunchtime; would you stay and eat with me? It is rather lonely in here!" They agreed, and Lance said "Where are Daniel and Vince?" Larmina said "Hunk took them to the hunkyard, so I could rest. But I do want company for lunch, and we can talk about the wedding! Just so you know I am not wearing pink!"

After Allura had left him, Keith had sat there in the garden, staring at the fucking sundial, as he thought of it now. He replayed their conversation in his mind, and wished it had gone differently. He'd been blindsided by her announcement about Lance, and about how he'd left five years ago. He also felt used, after all the time they'd spent talking about Arus, she choose Lance, who wasn't Arusian.

Keith knew his anger had overwhelmed because of the speed of the engagement, and the remarks Lance had made outside of sickbay. In retrospect he knew that he should not have told Allura what Lance had said. His angry side had lashed out though, before he could stop it. Keith could still see Allura looking at him as he said those things. Her eyes filled with pity, and fear, as she watched him. Keith knew now that his relationship with Allura would never be the same.

He also saw how he should have really have talked to her as soon as he came back to Arus. Yes, they had Wade to deal with, but he should have found the time. Keith had assumed that since Allura had not brought up the subject, it didn't need to be discussed. He had never even talked to Lance about what he'd told the team.

Thinking about Lance, his best friend, made the anger start to rise again. Keith remembered all the suspicions he'd had about them while he was gone. There had been a picture, on a newsfeed in a bar in the Gamin system, of Lance escorting her to a Galaxy function. Keith could still remember sitting in the tiny, dirty bar, feeling his heart hurt as he watched the news report.

Her remark about companionship bothered him, since he'd thought they had that. Keith wondered now what she had really thought of their time together, and had it bored her? They were both very serious people, and he had always enjoyed working with her. It was hard to find out that it had not been enough, or what she wanted.

The sound of the Carillion, in the Castle tower, playing on the hour, reminded him of the time. Keith wasn't sure how he would face Allura again, and knew that he needed to stay away from Lance. He wasn't sure if he could control himself right now, if he saw his best friend. The thought pierced his heart, as he thought of Lance and Allura together.

Keith made his way to his room, not encountering anyone along the way. He walked into his room, and locked the door. His room was Spartan in décor, but the bed was comfortable. The first thing Keith had done when he got back was get a new bed set. He'd spent too many years sleeping on the ground, or in dives, and never wanted to be that uncomfortable again. Now, as he lay down on the bed, he almost wished he was still out hunting Black Lion, his dreams intact.

It was after lunch when Coran arrived back at the Castle, after the meeting of the Dominion Council. Allura's engagement had been well received overall; the general consensus was that it was about time Her Majesty was getting married. Coran was looking forward to a glass of port and a nap, but when he saw Higgins outside his office he realized that they would have to wait.

Higgins, as the butler and head of the household could not gossip with the other servants. He understood what his role was; his Father had been the previous butler to the royal household. It was his job to keep the household in order so things ran smoothly. He had a close relationship with Coran and Fredericks, and both men appreciated his work.

The butler was aware that Commander Kogane was not held in high regard by most of the servants. He was a man who wanted to do things for himself, and didn't appreciate being fussed over. He also knew that the Commander wasn't jovial like his teammates, and could be touchy at the best of times. Higgins had been aware of both men's feelings for Her Majesty, and he always wondered how it would play out.

"Your Lordship, could I have a couple minutes of your time?" Higgins asked now, and Coran saw how serious he looked. He knew that domestic matters needed to be addressed right away, before they spiraled out of control. He took Higgins into his office, and heard the whole story of Keith looking for the garden, the servants, and how he'd sat out there for an hour after Her Majesty had left him. Higgins finished up with "No one has seen Commander Kogane, but I know the lock is set on his quarters."

Coran sighed. "Thank you for telling me Higgins, and I appreciate the line you took with the servants! Let me talk to Her Majesty, and then I will check on Commander Kogane." Once Higgins left, Coran took himself up to Allura's study, and heard her account of her talk with Keith. He'd planned on talking to Keith anyway, about something he'd learned at the meeting. Now, he could kill two birds with one stone.

Keith was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling thinking of everything he should have done differently. When he heard the knock on the door he was going to ignore it, because he didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Then the comm system on the nightstand buzzed, and it was Coran, saying he wanted to come in and talk to Keith.

Only the respect he had for the elder statesman made Keith open the door. Coran came in, leaning heavily on his cane, and shut the door behind him. Keith indicated the chair, and Coran sat down gladly. One of the things that had surprised Keith when he had returned was how old Coran looked. He later found out that the man had been incapacitated by a stroke for over a year. He had always admired the older man.

Coran looked at the young man laying on the bed, and thought back to the first time he'd seen him. So much had happened, and they were all so much older. He sighed and said "I came down to give you some news, and see how you were doing?" He put it out there like that, and waited for Keith's response.

Keith stood up, and walked over to his closet, where he took out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. "Does this answer your question? Would you like a drink?" Coran saw that it was an earth brand, Johnnie Walker Black label. His preferred choice was Arusian scotch, but he was willing to drink the earth blend if it helped Keith. "Thank you, yes I would! I just finished with the Dominion Council meeting!" Coran said, as he took the glass that Keith offered.

"Is the Dominion Council happy with Allura's engagement?" Keith asked bitterly, as he took a large swallow of his drink. He then asked "Are you happy with it Coran?" The older man heard the anger and hurt in Keith's voice, and realized that he would have to tread carefully if he was going to help Keith.

Coran took a sip of his drink, and said "Yes, the Council is quite pleased that Allura is getting married. One of the Lords had been hoping that she would marry his son, but that was the only comment. The general feeling is that it is good for Her Majesty to be married." Keith sighed unhappily, and asked "Even if it is Lance she is marrying?"

"Keith, he is your best friend! You two have been through so much together." Coran said and added "Lance is a good man!" Keith gave him an angry look, finished his drink, and poured another one. "Yea, my best friend who romances the woman I love while I'm out hunting Black Lion, to save Voltron!" Keith declared, and then said "He called her a cold hearted bitch, outside of sickbay, in front of everyone yesterday! Does that make him suitable to marry her?"

Coran finished his drink, and poured a little more; it was more drinkable than most earth scotches. "Keith, she can be a cold hearted bitch, and it runs in the family!" Keith looked at the older man in shock, that he would say that about Allura. Coran laughed and said "Take Fredericks out for a drink, and mention Crown Prince Eammon, Allura's older brother!"

Keith didn't want to hear about Allura's family, and repeated his earlier comment. "He called her a cold hearted bitch! And she's going to marry him!" Keith declared vehemently. Coran looked at Keith and said "He told her the truth about her behavior, Keith. She respects that, knowing that Lance was only looking out for Pidge and Larmina."

That comment got to Keith, because he knew at the end of the day he had failed Pidge. Instead of thinking of Voltron first, he thought of the Knights of Arus. He'd turned his back on his duty to the team. Coran saw him processing those thoughts, and decided he was ready to hear more.

"Lance, the entire time you were gone, stood by Allura. He came to see her, spent time with her, and helped her to relax. He used to tell her about the places he'd been, and where he wanted to take her. She loved it, and when she was on earth, he always saw to it that she had a good time." Coran felt bad about telling Keith this, but knew that he needed to hear it.

Keith looked at the man and said "Yes, I wasn't here to wine and dine her, because I was hunting for Black Lion!" Coran sighed and said "Keith, Allura is not even twenty-five years old! She has been responsible for Arus since she was thirteen! She needs someone who is going to take care of her as a woman!" Keith looked in shock at what Coran said.

"I love her! I've loved her since I first met her!" He declared, and Coran sighed. "Keith, do you love her, or your image of her?" Keith drew back, and looked at Coran in surprise "What do you mean?" Coran chose his words very carefully as he said "I think you still see Allura as that fifteen year old girl, on the staircase."

Keith was trying to process what Coran was saying. "I have always treated her respectfully, like you requested us to. I had not spoken of my feelings before because I didn't feel worthy of her, Coran. All that changed when I found out about the Knights of Arus, and some of my heritage. I would love her and protect her!" He declared to the older man.

Coran smiled, knowing what an upright person Keith really was. "Would you love and protect her as the Queen, or as a woman?" The older man asked in a low voice. Keith looked puzzled, not understanding what Coran was saying. He saw the younger man's puzzlement and said "I think you already know the answer Keith, based on what happened outside of sickbay yesterday."

"Keith, I think you are the embodiment of the Knights of Arus, and Allura appreciates that. She wasn't lying to you when she said she enjoyed talking about Arus with you! She knows you care about the planet, and she values your opinions." Coran said earnestly, and then "Allura doesn't want to lose your friendship over this! I also know that Lance is still your best friend, and this is eating away at him."

Keith snorted and said "Well, he has Allura to comfort him!" Coran sighed and said "Keith, you can't help who you fall in love with! I know it is hard right now, but I don't think you want to turn your back on either one of them!" Keith thought about that, and realized that Coran was right. He couldn't imagine life without Allura or Lance, but still couldn't handle the thought of them together.

He told Coran that, and added "What am I supposed to do now?" That made Coran remember what he had found out, at the meeting. "Keith, I'd planned on talking to you after the meeting anyway. It turns out that the chapter house for the Knights of Arus is intact!" The young man looked at Coran with interest.

"The chapter house is on Mr. Cransus, and the library is slowly being put back together. Several of the knights are already there, working on restoring it. I thought it might be useful if you wanted to do some research on your family's history." Coran told him, and explained the location of the place.

Keith suddenly wanted to know what he might find in the library, and also saw it as the chance to get some space from Lance and Allura. "Coran, can I leave tonight? I think it would be good for me to get away and clear my head for a couple of days." He said, and the older man nodded. "I can certainly arrange transport for you, but Keith." He stopped, and looked the young man straight in the eye "You need to let the team know that you will be gone for a couple of days. And even if you can't speak to Lance right now, you need to leave him some kind of a note."

"Oh, you mean I'm not supposed to run off like I did last time?" Keith asked, remembering what Allura had said this morning. Coran nodded his head and got up to leave. He put his hand on Keith's shoulder and said "I understand how hard all this is for you, Keith. But don't turn your back on your friends, or Voltron! We all need you!" He left after that, and Keith sat down to write his notes.

_Lance, I'm sending this note to you for two reasons, the first being to let you know that you will be in charge of Voltron Force for the next several days. I will send a separate note to all the team members to let them know this. I am going to the chapter house for the Knights of Arus, to do some research on my family._

_This trip will also be beneficial for the situation between us, because of Allura. I have obviously missed a lot of things, and misread various situations. I understand that she has made her choice, and you two love each other very much. You are both my best friends, and in other circumstances I would be happy for you. I hope my time away will help me deal with the situation._

_When Allura told me today, about the engagement, I got very angry. I said some things I shouldn't have, and I know that my behavior shocked her. You know that side of me, but I have kept it hidden from everyone else. I hope I did not upset her too much, and that you will both eventually forgive me._

_I will talk to you after I get back. _

_Keith_

_Allura, I wanted to let you know that I will be gone from the Castle for several days. I have the chance to go to the chapter house of the Knights, and research my family. Coran is aware of the trip and I am leaving Lance in command of Voltron Force. There will be a separate message to the team about that. Since we are a pilot short, I would hope that you could fly if an emergency came up._

_I am excited to see if I can learn something about my family, but I also think it will be good for me to be away from the Castle for several days. I have already sent Lance a note, and will talk to him when I return. I understand that you love each other, and I will honor that. I hope in time to be able to understand it too._

_This morning in the garden you saw a side of me that very few people of ever have seen, and I know it upset you. Your news was so sudden, and hard to hear, that I couldn't control my anger. You saw the result, and I apologize for the things I said. I also appreciate you stopping me before I went on. Allura, you are truly the best person I know._

_I realize now that I should have talked to you when I first got back, about why I left. It just honestly did not occur to me, and you didn't bring it up. I failed to understand the situation, like I failed to understand what was between us. At the end of the day I don't want to lose your friendship, and I hope that at some point we can talk again._

_Keith_

_To: Voltron Team_

_From: Keith Kogane, Commander_

_I will be out of the Castle for the next several days, at the chapter house for the Knights of Arus. Coran knows how to get in touch with me. Lance is in charge while I am gone_.

_Larmina, please get well soon, as we need you_.

_Since we are a pilot short with my absence, Vince you may alone if an emergency comes up. Allura has also agreed to fly if needed, and I will leave it to Lance to decide who flies what Lion._

_See you in several days._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Thank you to Wade Wells for inserting a plot bunny! Hope you like it!**_

_**The Tram to Mt. Cransus**_

It was the next morning, and Keith was sitting in a small waiting room, at the foot of Mt. Cransus. Coran had arranged transport to Kodarsk, the town that he could pick up the tram in. He had been surprised when Higgins had brought him a basket of food, not wanting him to get hungry. Keith was not surprised that the butler knew where he was going. The gossip grapevine in the Castle was well oiled.

Keith also had a nice talk with Firth, the footman who had shown him the door to the garden. Firth brought him a blanket, saying the chapter house was known for being very cold. When Keith asked how he knew about conditions at the house, he'd found out that the man's uncle had been valet to a knight, before the war. It used to be tradition for the knights to spend time at the house every year, for reflection and mediation. The man had told Keith several more interesting facts, and he found himself looking at the footman in a new way.

He'd gotten into town very late, but there was lodging available, so he got some sleep. In the morning he'd gone down to the common room to eat, but wished he hadn't. There was a newsfeed running on the video monitor, and while the sound was turned down he knew it was about the engagement. There were pictures of Lance and Allura, both together and separate.

Keith couldn't keep himself from watching the feed, and he was surprised at how many pictures there were of the two of them together. He was guessing a lot of them were from when he was gone, and he found himself wondering again if there had been something between them while he was gone.

Now, he waited for the tram to come down, so he could leave. Keith had been glad to see that the waiting room didn't have a video monitor. He was trying not to think about how happy Lance and Allura had looked in all those pictures. He was reading some memos on his tablet when the door opened and Keith looked up to a woman come into the room.

She was tall with pale blonde hair, white skin, and large blue-grey eyes that were incredible. They reminded him of the ocean under a cloudy sky. The unknown woman was wearing a black traveling cloak, which set off the pale gold of her hair. He noticed that she was carrying a wooden box in her black gloved hands. Keith also noticed the woman's cold expression, which turned unpleasant when she saw him.

"Mallison, I told you to book me a private tram for the trip!" The woman declared in dulcet tones to the older man that accompanied her. Keith guessed from his outfit that he was her servant, and he felt very bad for the man.

"Your Ladyship, I'm sorry. I will go see what happened." The man said bowing, and the woman gave Keith a frosty look and said "I will go with you, to make sure it is done right!"

They left the room, much to Keith's relief. He'd always thought Allura had the market covered on cold, aloof behavior, but the woman who just left could give her lessons. As he thought about her, with the oval face, and gentle features, he realized that she was beautiful. Keith was surprised that he'd had that thought, with everything else going on. He'd been sure he would never look at women again! He then decided that based on how unpleasant this one was it would be easy to keep his vow. He had a silent chuckle at what Lance, who'd called Allura a cold hearted bitch, would make of this woman. Keith put that thought out of his mind and got back to his memos.

It was almost ten minutes later, and the woman came back, with the servant and the station manager following her. "Your Ladyship, it was a special request from the Prime Minister, Lord Montrane. The gentleman is a friend of his." The station manager was explaining in pained tones, while the servant looked like he was trying to be invisible.

"I really don't care if he is friends with the queen herself! I booked a private tram, and I paid for a private tram, so I want a private tram!" The woman said in a demanding tone, still wearing her unpleasant expression.

Keith decided to take pity on the station manager. "Excuse me sir, I don't wish to inconvenience Her Ladyship." Keith said it in an archly polite voice, and added "I can just wait for the next one, so she can have her private tram." He stood up, and started to gather his belongings. He was tempted to tell the woman that he was in fact friends with the queen.

The station manager sighed and asked "Are you willing to wait until next week?" Keith stopped and looked at him. "The tram only runs one day a week, because the knights don't want too much traffic on the mountain." It was Keith's turn to sigh now; he didn't want to go back to the Castle. He also decided that this unpleasant woman shouldn't affect his plans.

Keith sat back down, and took his tablet out. He turned to the station manager, making it a point to ignore the woman, and said "Would you please explain to Her Ladyship that I will not bother her in anyway." He said it in a tone that made it clear what he thought of her.

The woman stood there, still holding the wooden box in her gloved hands. She tossed her head and said "I expect a full refund of my fare, you understand!" The station manager was so relieved to have averted conflict, and he saw the tram coming in. It would be good to get rid of the woman, and he said he was glad to refund the fare.

The woman boarded the tram first, clutching her box, while her servant passed a bag to the conductor of the tram. It went into the luggage hold, but Keith held on to his as he boarded the tram. It was not large, but well appointed with comfortable seats, and some tea and coffee at the back of the carriage. The windows all around the carriage offered magnificent views of the mountains.

Keith made it a point to sit as far away from the woman as possible, and he got back to work on the memos. The tram started up the mountain, moving smoothly up the line. He looked up from time to time, admiring the view, and once or twice casting a glance at the woman. She was still holding the wooden box in her gloved hands, which he could tell were clenched. Keith wondered what was in the box that she held so tightly.

They were about halfway up the mountain when the tram stopped with a jerk. Keith heard the woman give a small scream, and looked at her. He saw terror in those blue-grey eyes, and he was sure that her skin was several shades whiter than it had already been. The tram hung there in the air, with only the overhead line supporting it.

"Are you all right?" Keith asked, out of concern for the way she looked.

He watched the woman gather her composure some and she mumbled "Yes, fine." Keith sighed, and went back to reading his memo. Just then a hard gust of wind, from the mountain hit the car, and the tram swung in the wind. This time the woman stood up and screamed, dropping the box she'd been holding.

Keith made his way over to her, and she grabbed onto him for dear life. He put his arms around her as she lurched backward as the car swung. Keith found himself on the seat, with her underneath him. "Get off of me now!" The woman screamed into his ear, and he heard panic in her voice.

He said calmly "Ma'am, you are holding very tightly to me, making it hard to get up." By now the woman was hyperventilating, and Keith was afraid she was going to faint. He did notice how warm and soft she felt, and how good she smelled; it was floral, but something else too.

"Let's sit up now." He said, getting them both upright, and then told her "Now, put your head between your knees and breath." She looked at him not comprehending what he was saying, so he explained. "It will help your breathing, so you don't pass out. I will steady you, in case the car rocks again!"

The woman managed to get out "It might move again?" before she put her head down like he had requested.

Keith was wondering if the woman was scared of heights, and if so, why in hell had she come on the tram! He said "I expect the car will start moving again shortly, it is probably a glitch in the line." As he said it he bent down to pick up the wooden box. It was square, measuring about one foot by one foot. and a foot deep. On the lid he saw the enamel and metal crest of the Knights of Arus, with another enameled and metal crest underneath it.

In his quest to learn about his family history, and the Knights of Arus, Keith had spent time studying heraldry. He was able to read the basic information that the second crest conveyed. Like all crest it was divided into four parts, and each part meant something different. Once glance had told him it was a very old and noble crest.

The upper left quadrant featured six white crosses each with eight points, on a red background. That area was slashed by a white diagonal and that featured a winged creature with an arrow through its throat. He didn't know what the crosses signified, but the creature with the arrow was part of the insignia of the eastern dominion.

The upper right part of the shield displayed three lions rampant. Keith knew that it meant the title, whatever it was, had been bestowed four hundred years before, under King Alfor III. The lower parts of the shield were divided between two different areas. A blue and yellow checkered background signified membership in the order of St. Stephan, a martyr in the Arusian church, while the other lower quadrant, a gold lion on a red background signified the grace of the Kingdom of Arus.

He looked at the woman very closely, as he handed the box back to her. She still looked way too pale, her pupils too dilated, and her breath coming too fast. "Are you afraid of heights, Your Ladyship?" Keith decided to take a formal road with her, in spite of how she was clinging to him. The tram swung again in the wind, and she clutched tighter to Keith.

"Yes, I am terrified to death of heights!" She screamed, as she hyperventilated. Keith felt the fear in her body, and understood that she was beyond terrified.

His one hand was holding the box, while his other hand was around her shoulders. "Look, I need you to breath, and then tell me why you are on this tram!"

The woman looked around and said "My bag, where is my bag?" Keith didn't see a bag with her, and remembered her servant putting it in the baggage hold.

"I think it is in the baggage hold, Your Ladyship." Keith told her, and felt her look around in panic! "I need my bag, I mean I need." She left it hanging out there, and he wondered what was in the bag.

By now Keith was concerned about the woman, as her fear was so apparent as the tram swung again. "Stay right here, I'll be right back!" Keith told her, and went over to the overnight bag he'd kept with him. He took a flask out of it, and came back saying "Look, I don't have any glasses, but I think this might help you!" He passed it to the woman who a long, hard, gulp!

She coughed some as it went down her throat, and her eyes watered some. It didn't even take a minute before the woman felt the effect of the alcohol. "Oh, gosh, oh!" Keith noticed that the woman's breathing was better, and she wasn't clinging so tight to him.

"This is from earth!" The woman said, and looked at Keith with a bemused expression.

"Yes, it is! How did you know that? And why are you on this tram if you are afraid of heights?" Keith asked, trying to figure it all out.

The woman was now clutching her box again, and said "Why are you asking?"

Keith saw how she didn't look as cold and unpleasant as earlier, but she still wore her formal expression. He admired how she could go from terrified to cold and composed so easy. It reminded him of how he controlled his emotions, and he was sure that this woman was deep underneath her exterior. Keith smiled and said "Why don't we discuss why you know where my scotch is from?" He thought that would be the easiest place to start.

"My Father was the Ambassador to earth for a long time. I grew up on earth, until I was seventeen, where I returned to Arus . My Father much preferred earth scotch to Arusian whiskey, and always had some on hand." The woman explained, and Keith found it interesting. He wasn't sure about her age, but figured it was around Allura's, or maybe a little older. There was a self-assurance about her that made him wonder.

Keith decided not to go down that path, and chose a different route. In the five years he'd spent hunting Black, he had been forced to get good at gathering information. "So why are you on this god forsaken tram, since you don't like heights?"

He watched as she removed herself from his arms, and drew herself straight up as said "Because of my husband!" She announced it in a voice like that explained everything.

"I don't even know your name, let alone your husband's, but I will say that if I knew that my wife was afraid of heights, I would not expect her to get on this tram!" Keith was shocked that some man expected a woman who was this terrified of heights to do this trip. He watched as the woman moved back from him, looking at him with a cool expression.

"I am Lady Eimear Ainsley. My husband was Sir Percival Ainsley, Knight of Arus!" The woman's dulcet tones were back, and Keith decided that he would never want to play cards with her. Her poker face was beyond perfect. However, he had not gotten his questions answered, and this woman had already drunk too much of his scotch!

Keith sat back, crossed his legs, and said "I don't see why your title, or I guess, your husband's? mean anything. Anyway, why are you on this tram having hysterics?"

He watched as anger flashed on her beautiful features as she said "My Father is the Duke of Mecklinz, and as the daughter of a Duke I was born with the title of 'Lady'! My husband was the second son of the Duke of Northlumbin!"

He looked over at her and said "You still haven't told me anything! I am guessing that your husband is dead, based on how you refer to him in the past tense, right? And he was a second son, so your husband would never be duke, right?" Keith watch as the woman's eyes blazed at him with anger at his cool assessment of the situation.

"You know nothing at all!" The woman said in fury, and Keith liked how her eyes grew darker as her cheeks flushed. He was enjoying getting this woman so worked up.

All of a sudden the tram lurched hard, from one side to another, and the woman screamed as Keith and she ended up huddled together in a corner of the car. "My fucking husband and his last wish! The damn bastard couldn't be buried in the family graveyard like all of his other ancestors! Oh no, he had to be buried on the fucking mountain! ##%" The woman finished her declaration with a selection of Arusian curse words that impressed Keith.

The tram then started gliding up the mountain again, and the woman stood up and almost snarled at Keith "Get away from me!" He stood up, and moved back a couple of paces, but before he could say anything conductor showed up in the car.

"I'm sorry Your Ladyship, there was some ice on the line, but it is all cleared now. We will be at the top of the mountain in less than ten minutes. Can I get you a cup of tea?"

The conductor stayed in the car while he got her the cup of tea, and then they were docking at the station. Keith noticed how she wouldn't meet his eyes, or anything else. He was very curious about her story now, and hoped that over the next week he could figure it out. At least it would give him something else to thing about besides Lance and Allura.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: The chapter house is cobbled together from tales of the Knights Templar, and the wonderful 'Cadfael' books by Ellis Peters. I know that most of you probably watched the series on PBS, but it did not come close to capturing the feel of a medieval monastery, or the time of brave knights. If you are interested in that period of history I strongly suggest reading her books!**_

_**To my reviewers: Thank you for your feedback, and I'm glad you like Lady Eimear! Introducing an OC can be tricky.**_

_**The Chapter House**_

Keith had been had the chapter house for two days now, and had not been able to start his research yet. Neither had he seen the intriguing but unpleasant Lady Ainsley. The chapter house was large, and built into the mountain. He saw the damage the Drules had inflicted on the stone and wood structure, but it was still livable.

There was a chapel and crypt that took up most of the basement, while the first floor had offices, along with a reception hall, dining hall, and kitchen. The second floor housed the enormous library, the infirmary, and some bedrooms. He understood that the third floor was given over to more bedrooms, and storage.

When he arrived he was welcomed by a porter, and taken to meet the Grand Prior of the order in a small room heavily decorated with red velvet. Geoffrey D'Ubell, Earl of Portiers was an old man with clear blue eyes that missed nothing. He and Keith talked about why he was there, and what he hoped to find. The Earl then summoned a slightly less old man into the room, and introduced him as Sir Roulf Payens, head librarian.

Keith was pleased when Sir Roulf took him to the library, but less pleased when he found out that he was expected to sort and shelve books. When he'd protested, the older knight had told him 'all in good time.' Keith was finding the chapter house peaceful, and there were no video feeds in sight. He started the morning early, in the chapel with the other knights. There was no service, just silence and mediation.

The chapel had a stone floor, hard upright wood pews, and banners of various military campaigns hanging from the ceiling. The altar was set off with an elaborate wrought iron gate, protecting a table covered with white linen. Hanging above it was the cross of the knights of Arus.

After the first day he'd ask Sir Roulf the purpose of the morning chapel session, and was told it was to reflect on what had been done the day before, and how you could do better today. The thought depressed Keith, as he was aware of how much better he could have done so many things. He was brought back to the present as he heard the librarian talking to him.

"Keith, would you like to look at some records? It is possible that they might contain information on your family." Sir Roulf said to him, and Keith agreed. They went to a table where there were several large volumes, filled with hand written pages.

"Sir, is there a reason none of this is computerized?" Keith asked, knowing the technology had been available long before the war.

The older man looked at him and said "There was always the intention to do that, but it never happened. Then the war started, and all the knights were busy fighting." Keith knew that the Drule war had been going on for almost ten years when he'd first arrived on Arus.

"How will we find the information on my family? What order are these books in?" Keith asked eagerly, hoping he would get his questions answered. The knight looked at him intently, and Keith felt like the man's black eyes bored into his heart.

"Why are you looking for your family now, young man?" Sir Roulf asked patiently.

"I found out just recently that my family originally came from Arus. I want to understand how I came to be raised on earth." Keith explained, thinking he had already told the man this. He added "That is my main reason for being here, and I wanted to find out two days ago!" He'd been annoyed that he had been forced to wait.

"You are an intense and angry young man! Also, a very hurt young man!" Sir Roulf told him, and added "Why don't you tell me what you know about your family."

Keith was glad that he hadn't asked about why he was 'angry' and 'hurt', and told the man about the old Arusian explorer ship, the message from his Great-Grandfather, and what he remembered of his parents.

"How old are you?" He asked, and Keith told him his age of twenty-eight, and added that he'd been born on earth.

"Your Father must have left Arus before you were born, which would have been eight to ten years before the war started." The knight mused, and went to a pile of books on the left side of the table.

"We have records of the families of the knights up until the war was declared. Now that the house is open again we have a lot of catching up to do. However, it sounds like your Father's information should have been recorded." Sir Roulf told him, and reached for a book halfway down the pile.

"The first librarian started the system of doing the records by year, rather than by family. I think it is asinine, but I don't dare change it." The man huffed, and Keith smiled at seeing a different side of the older knight.

Sir Roulf opened the large volume, and started scanning pages. Keith didn't know what he was looking for, as what he could read of the writing seemed to be very jumbled. The older knight sighed when he got to the middle of the book, left it open, and pulled another one from the pile. He opened it, and started turning pages like he'd done in the other book.

"Hmm, this is interesting!" The man said, and Keith looked at him with interest.

"According to this, your Father died in when he was eighteen, in what looks like a water death." The knight explained, and Keith looked at him in shock!

"What do you mean a water death?" Keith asked starting to wonder at what kind of records the knights kept.

"You must understand detailed information is only provided on the actual knight. Information on his family is brief, just bare bones. However, I can show you where to find information on both your Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather, since they were full knights." Sir Roulf told him, and Keith's eyes gleamed at the thought of learning something about his family history. He was bothered though, by his Father's death notice.

"Where is the information? And what do you mean by full knights?" Keith asked eagerly, and saw the older man shake his head.

The librarian then tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes, looking at Keith. "Membership in the society is by birth, but the induction does not take place until the candidate's twenty-first birthday and only if he is worthy." The man paused, and then went on. "As far as the records, not today, young man! Come back tomorrow, and we will do it then." Sir Roulf told him firmly, and Keith felt fury at the fact that the information was being held from him. The knight saw what was going through Keith's mind, and he held up his hand.

"I told you that you are very angry, and it is not good. In this state you are not receptive to learning, or listening." Sir Roulf told him, and waited for Keith's reaction. He didn't have to wait long.

"Excuse me for wanting to know about my family! It's not like I came up this mountain because I had nothing else to do!" Keith said, his eyes blazing and his breathing hard.

"I asked you before, and I will ask again, why did you come up here? You could have just sent us a message, requesting the information!" Sir Roulf told him in a bored voice. Keith looked at him in surprise as he said that. He realized the man was right, he could have just sent a request. He then remembered why he'd thought a trip up here was a good idea.

"Keith, I want you to spend the rest of the day thinking about your life, and what you really want. We will have a great deal to talk about tomorrow. Oh, for your information we are having a ceremony tonight, to bury a knight of the order. The dress is formal, and you are invited to attend." Sir Roulf told him, then turned his back and walked away.

Keith was left standing alone, in the dim wood paneled room. There were pictures of ancient knights on the wall, and he felt like they were looking at him with disapproval. He didn't know where to go for the rest of the day. Keith then remembered that he had been told, on his first day, that the garden was in the process of being put back together. He knew they needed help, so he decided that some physical labor would help him calm down.

Tilling and weeding the garden was tedious, but it felt good to do some work with his hands. He thought about what Sir Roulf had said to him, as well as about Lance and Allura. Keith knew that however much he wanted to know about his family, it was because of those two that he was up here. He wondered if the old librarian had second sight or something else.

Later that evening, he was getting ready for the ceremony, which was going to be interesting. He had been wearing civilian clothes on the tram, and had not used his rank at the chapter house. Keith had brought both his day uniform, as well as his dress uniform, wanting to be prepared and not really knowing the rules for the chapter house. He wondered what the reaction would be when they realized who he was, or maybe they already knew, he thought to himself.

Keith was pretty sure that it was Sir Percival they were burying, remembering Lady Eimear from the tram. He was willing to bet that she'd not referred to her dead husband as a fucking bastard when she was talking to the Grand Prior. The memory of her cursing made him smile, and he wondered once again what was underneath her formal façade. Keith wanted to talk to her, but wondered if he would get the chance. He had not seen her since they'd arrived.

He was one of the last ones in the chapel before the service started, and he felt everyone's eyes on him when he walked in. Keith had on his formal Galaxy Alliance uniform, his service medals, and his Voltron badge. The gold lion head hung from the black ribbon around his neck, and caught the overhead lighting even though it was dim.

He also had a dark blue sash running from his right shoulder to his left hip, where it was pinned with a jeweled badge carrying the crest of the Order of King Alfor. Allura had presented it to everyone on the team when Lotor had been defeated the first time. It was only worn by the royal family, or people who had performed outstanding acts of bravery. It was considered the highest honor in the Kingdom. He knew that everyone in the chapel was studying the sash as well as the lion badge, and the scrutiny was uncomfortable.

Sir Roulf gestured to him, and he went over and saw that the man had saved a seat for Keith. The librarian peered closely at his decorations, and then gave him a slight smile. Keith hoped it meant that the man would be more favorable tomorrow. The chapel had been very quiet, but suddenly there was a rustling at the back of the building. Keith turned to see what was happening, and saw Lady Eimear with the Grand Prior.

Keith knew he should have been looking at the Grand Prior's elaborate regalia and costume, but he found himself looking at his traveling companion instead. She had on a black dress that fit her body well, with a black lace veil over her pale flaxen hair that was worn up. The veil was anchored by a gold coronet fashioned in a design of eight strawberry leaves set on top of a gold band ornamented with diamonds.

She was carrying the box that she'd had on the tram, and Keith now realized that it held her husband's remains. He saw that she wasn't wearing gloves, and that her hands were slim with long fingers and the same pale white skin as on her face. He saw a gold wedding band on her right hand, which symbolized her status as widow.

The Grand Prior led her down the aisle, and when she drew abreast of Keith their eyes met. He saw that she was as beautiful as he remembered, with the oval face, soft features, and large eyes. The black dress set off her skin and eyes, while the black lace emphasized how fair her hair was. Keith noticed the woman's eyes widen when she saw him in his uniform. He noticed that she set her eyes straight ahead as she slightly raised her chin.

He remembered getting her annoyed, and wanted to do it again! Keith then mentally rebuked himself for that thought, during the service for her husband. He found out that the man had died two years before the war ended, when his star cruiser was hit by a robeast. Keith was sure that Voltron was probably involved in the battle, and decided to try to find out which one; there had been so many!

Keith followed the ceremony as the woman presented the box with her husband's remains in it. She stood upright, and proud before the altar of the knights. The man's linage was read first, and he knew that he'd been right; the title was an old and ancient one. Suddenly he felt very bad for his remark, about her husband having been the second son, when he realized that the man's older Brother had not been a knight, but his Father had.

Keith watched as the Grand Prior took the wooden box from the woman, who bowed before him. The chaplain said some prayers over it, and then the box was taken away to the crypt. The woman left the chapel, and he saw that her eyes were bright with tears.

He decided she couldn't be all that bad if she was crying about her dead husband. Keith also thought about how she'd held on to his remains for over ten years, so she could fulfill his last wish. She'd done something that terrified her to death, for her husband. He wondered what it would be like to be loved like that!

Luckily Sir Roulf broke that train of thought by saying "Keith, I think we will have a great deal to talk about tomorrow. I'll see you at 9:00am!" The knights were filing out, and Keith realized that he was going to have to wait one more night. He slept fitfully, having dreams of both Allura and Lady Eimear crying over his dead body.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you for the reviews!**_

_**Discoveries**_

Keith presented himself in the library at 9:00am, and waited for Sir Roulf. After his restless night he'd gone to the morning chapel session. The other mornings his reflections had all been about Allura, Lance, and what he should have done differently. This morning though he had not given them much thought, thinking instead about what he was going to learn about his family.

He also reflected on the service last night, and Lady Eimear. Keith wondered which battle her husband had been killed in. It gave him a weird feeling to know that her husband might have died defending Voltron. He wanted to talk to her, but wondered what she would really say to him.

Sir Roulf arrived not to long after 9:00, along with a servant who carried a tray with coffee. Keith hoped it was better than what they'd served at breakfast. The servant set the tray down, and Keith saw two cups, a pot, and a plate with small biscuits on it.

"I thought you might like some decent coffee, so please help yourself." Sir Roulf said after the servant was gone. He went on "I like my coffee much stronger than what they make in the kitchen!" Keith helped himself to some coffee, and watched as Sir Roulf did the same.

"We have a great deal to talk about, Keith. Or would you prefer to be addressed as Commander? If I'd been aware of your rank, I would have used it." The librarian said, in almost a peeved tone. Keith guessed it was because he had not told the man who he was.

"Keith is fine, Sir Roulf. I did not feel the need to announce my rank, as it has nothing to do with why I'm here!" He declared, and then realized that wasn't entirely true. Sir Roulf gave him one of those piercing stares he seemed to do so well.

"Are you sure that is not part of the reason why you are here? You know we are not cut off from the world, and we do watch the news!" The older man said patiently. He then said "You are held in high esteem in the Kingdom, and are known as a good friend to the Queen. It is interesting that you are up here, while her engagement is announced!"

Keith looked away from the man, trying to gather his composure. Sir Roulf had cut right through his defenses without a second thought.

"Don't worry, we are men of the world here, and your privacy will be respected. However, if I am to help you, I need you to start being honest with me!" The older man declared, giving Keith a kind smile.

"There is really nothing to say, Sir Roulf. Allura, I mean Her Majesty made her choice." Keith stated in a flat tone, not wanting to bring up those feelings. He also knew that it would be in bad taste to gossip about the man's sovereign.

"If you are concerned about shocking me, please don't be. I was quite the ladies man in my day Keith, and I know a great deal about women! I am also discrete, and will keep in confidence anything you tell me about the lady in question." Sir Roulf told him, and Keith almost saw the old knight's eyes twinkle when he made the comment about knowing about women. Keith was willing to concede that he himself knew nothing about the opposite sex.

"My best friend is marrying the woman I love, because she needs someone who provides companionship and fun! That is according to her!" Keith said, deciding that maybe Sir Roulf could offer some words of wisdom. He knew that two days ago he would not have imagined himself talking to the man about it, but now that the subject had been brought up Keith knew the librarian would not let it drop.

"Ouch! Are you still friends with him? Did you beat him up?" Sir Roulf asked with cursorily. Keith sat up very indigently at that question.

"No, I did not beat him up!" Keith said in a shocked voice, and Sir Roulf laughed.

"Why are you shocked at me asking? That would be a normal reaction for a lot of men. So would getting drunk, bedding another woman, all three actually! I am glad you didn't beat him up, because that would mean the end of your friendship." The knight told Keith, who looked at him with interest.

"Are you talking from personal experience, Sir Roulf?" Keith asked, trying to imagine the knight as a young man.

"Absolutely! I was about twenty or so, and madly in love with the woman my best friend was in love with too. She chose him, instead of me, so I got drunk, and we got into a fight that ended our friendship. I have always regretted that, and he died before I could mend that fence. So, you've saved yourself a lot of grief already!" Sir Roulf told him in a relieved voice.

"Well considering how much grief I have, a little more would probably not have mattered. But I don't want to lose Lance's friendship. We have been through a lot together." Keith told the man, in a sad tone of voice.

"I am interested in the reasons the lady, by the way we will refer to her that way, no names, anyway I am interested in the reasons she gave you for turning you down. Was this when you proposed to her?" The knight asked, and Keith was reminded of a doctor interviewing a patient.

Keith almost felt that a weight was being lifted off his heart, as he proceeded to tell the whole story, of the eight years, the time back, the incidents in sickbay, and the study. He finished up with the scene in the garden, the talk with Coran, and why he was up here now.

"I know Coran, and he is a good man. I would have to agree with his statement, that you were in love with your image of the lady, not the actual person." Sir Roulf told him as he sat back and drank some coffee. Keith looked at him in shock, feeling the same punch in the stomach that he'd had when Coran had said it.

"No! I love her! I thought about her the entire time I was gone!" He declared, not seeing why these men both said the same thing.

"Keith, I know that if I saw the woman I loved, after being away from her for five years, I would have swept into my arms, kissed her hard, and done several other things as well! It doesn't sound like you did any of that!" Sir Roulf told him with a sigh. Keith shook his head, wishing the man would understand.

"I couldn't just do that right off the bat! I mean I wasn't sure if I was worthy of her! Or if she even felt the same way about me!" Keith told the man in an exasperated tone. Sir Roulf looked at him in disbelief.

"You had just returned, after five years, with the missing lion, and restored Voltron to Arus! What could be more worthy than that! The lady obviously held you in high esteem before that, judging by that sash you wore last night!" The knight told him in the peeved tone he had used earlier.

"Everyone on the team received that award, Sir!" Keith told the man, but in a contemplative tone. Looking at it like Sir Roulf had just presented it, his actions did look puzzling. The librarian watched Keith closely.

"After you were back, did you spend time with the lady?" Sir Roulf asked, and Keith told him about the time he had spent with Allura, and the knight asked what they had talked about. He did not seem too impressed with Keith's account.

"Did you tell her about your time away? Your life as a fugitive? I bet you have some thrilling tales to tell!" The older man asked him, and wasn't surprised when Keith shook his head.

"I didn't think she needed to hear it. It wasn't really appropriate conversation." He said to the knight, not liking how the man was looking at him.

"For future reference, women love to hear stories about the exciting and dangerous things a man has done. Interesting that you made a judgment about what was appropriate for her, instead of letting the lady give you her opinion." Sir Roulf passed along his advice in a knowing tone.

"Did you take her out? Did you entertain her?" The knight asked more questions, and Keith shook his head to both of them.

"Women like to get dressed up, and be taken out, young man!" Sir Roulf declared, and that made Keith think of the chat he, Fredericks, and Lance had had when Allura saw the picture of Larmina in the black dress.

"You sound like Count Fredericks!" Keith told the knight, who burst out laughing.

"Alec Fredericks! I know him very well. A man after my own heart, but don't drink or play cards with him! He has hollow legs, and luck you wouldn't believe!" Sir Roulf told Keith conspiratorially.

"No wonder he and Lance get along so well!" Keith muttered to himself, which the other man ignored. Keith felt the need to defend himself.

"How was I supposed to take her out, with who she is? And where would I have taken her?" Keith asked in an annoyed tone. Sir Roulf gave him a cool look.

"Judging by all the pictures on the newsfeed your friend didn't seem to have that problem!" The knight felt bad about saying it, but knew that the man in front of him needed to understand. He took a deep breath, and hoped that what he was going to say next would be heard.

"Keith, you say that you love this woman, but you didn't share your life with her, you didn't entertain her, you made assumptions about her! It seems to me that you came home and picked up the same relationship you had with her when she was fifteen. However, she wasn't a fifteen year old girl, but a twenty-three year old woman!" He delivered it in a voice that sounded like a judge handing down a decree.

Keith wanted protest, but as he thought about the knight's words, he realized that the man was right. There was so much he had not shared with Allura, and their relationship since he'd been back was almost exactly what it was before he left.

He thought about everything the man had said, about women. Keith thought back to the scene when Allura first heard about Pidge and Larmina. As he thought about the young couple, he realized that Pidge had done just what Sir Roulf had said that Keith didn't. He felt foolish as he looked at his behavior.

"Keith, I know I have given you a lot to think about. Do you want to do your family now, or would you like to come back later?" The knight asked in a gentle tone, thinking of everything the man had gone through.

Keith looked at the older man, and once again felt foolish. He hung his head, and didn't know where to go from here. He told Sir Roulf that, finding it hard to admit that he had been so wrong.

"Young man, do you think you are the only one who has gone through this?" Sir Roulf declared, not liking how dejected the younger man looked. He knew though that before rebuilding could start, the rubble must be cleared away.

"The triangle is one of the oldest stories known to man. It isn't always about love, or sex you know!" The knight said in a firm tone, and Keith looked at the man with interest. The librarian saw that he had Keith's attention so he went on.

"Love, and/or sex, the two are not mutual, in case you don't know!" Sir Roulf's eyes twinkled, and then he went on "Love and/or sex is the most common triangle, but it can also be money or power! I know something of your stories and ancient religions of earth. They had saints, like our church does. I have always been intrigued by the story of St. Thomas More, a great lawyer. He discovered he had to choose between his God and his king."

Keith looked at the man, and vaguely remembered the name from one of his philosophy lectures at the Academy. He thought it had not ended well, and asked the knight about it.

"Oh, the king cut off his head because he chose his God over his sovereign. And interestingly enough, that whole matter started because of sex too!" Sir Roulf finished in a smooth voice.

"Sex was hardly my problem!" Keith declared, thinking about his relationship with Allura.

Sir Roulf gave him a pointed look as he said "I bet sex was a bigger issue than you thought it was. But that is a discussion for another time, if you want to have it! Now, do you want to do your family now, or later?"

Keith couldn't imagine talking about sex with the man. On the other hand, he would never have thought he would have poured out his whole life story to Sir Roulf. He also thought about the knight's comments, about the assumptions he'd made about Allura. Keith suddenly saw that he had made judgments about so many people, never bothering to find out the whole story.

"I am feeling rather overwhelmed on the one issue right now. I would like to get off the subject and talk about my family!" Keith declared, feeling like he been gutted and filleted like a fish!

"Good choice and what I would expect of a brave warrior!" Sir Roulf declared, laughing as he did so. He stood up, and went to the other side of the room. When he came back he had leather bound volume, and an old style manila file.

"I pulled this yesterday afternoon, so they would be all set for you. You can read about your family history, up through your Grandfather. You probably did not know that there is a barony in your family!" Sir Roulf said as he put the folder and book in front of Keith.

"What do you mean a barony?" Keith asked, not understanding what the knight was referring to.

"Your father was the heir to the title, Baron of Farxden. However, after he died in the water accident the only issue left was your Grandfather's sister. The title passed to her, and my understanding is that she never married or had children. If that is true, you are the next in line to inherit." Sir Roulf explained to Keith.

"So my Father was an only child?" Keith asked, seeing the family tree in his mind.

"Yes, your Grandmother died during a plague outbreak, and your Grandfather never remarried!" Sir Roulf told him, adding "It is all in there. If you need more, you can always do specialized research. We have a room that has access to the outside world. We have full research capabilities, as well as various newsfeeds." The older man turned to leave, and then turned back, asking "What did you think of the service last night?"

"It was very moving. I rode up on the tram with Her Ladyship." Keith left it out there, not wanting to disclose what had happened.

"I assumed you had come up with her. She is a very a noble, and strong woman, devoted to her family." Sir Roulf told Keith. Keith thought about what he'd heard in the eulogy last night. He thought about the battle he'd heard about.

"I think her husband and I were in the same battle that got him killed." Keith declared, looking at a portrait of an ancient knight that hung on the wall. He remembered something he'd heard and decided that Sir Roulf could answer his question.

"Why was Sir Percival a knight, but not his older brother? Sir Percival was the second son!" Keith asked Sir Roulf. The older man looked at Keith with great interest, and said "You seem to have picked up a great deal of information." He waited for Keith's reply.

"Her Ladyship spoke extensively about her husband." Keith said, slightly smiling as he thought about what Lady Eimear had said about the man. Sir Roulf noticed how Keith was suddenly not looking as downtrodden when he mentioned Lady Eimear.

"Sir Percival was the second son, his older brother the Earl of St. Albans, was heir to the title. Just so you understand the heir to a dukedom is an Earl. The title of Earl can also stand on its own. Anyway, Percival's older brother, when he was seventeen was injured in a riding accident that left him paralyzed. He didn't die, but he couldn't walk or ever live an independent life." Sir Roulf explained to Keith, who nodded his head.

"It was always understood that the title would go through Percy, because he was, shall we say, capable of producing an heir? Unfortunately the Drule war changed everything. Sir Percival died in his star cruiser, two days before his older brother's injuries finally caught up with him!" Sir Roulf explained to Keith.

"What happened after that?" Keith asked, trying to understand what he was hearing

"It turned into a very messy succession!" The older man declared, and Keith wondered what it meant. He asked that, and Sir Roulf took some more coffee, before the explained the situation.

"Lady Eimear was pregnant when her husband died. They had not even been married for a year, when it all happened. It was a hard position for a young woman to be in, wondering whether she would be able to stay in her home or not." Sir Roulf told him, and Keith gave him a puzzled look.

"Unlike the barony in your family, the Dukedom of Northlumbin could only be passed through the male line. If Lady Eimear produces a son, the succession and title, along with the vast estates that go with it, are assured, and she stays in the house. On the other hand, if she has a daughter, they both get a decent stipend and a foot note in the family history." Sir Roulf explained this in an almost apologetic tone. Keith thought about how it must have been for the young woman, widowed and pregnant, wondering where she would end up living. His admiration for the woman increased as he heard the story.

"What happened?" Keith asked wanting to know how the beautiful woman had turned into the cold person he'd seen on the tram.

"My understanding the pregnancy was hard, and more than a few people wondered whether she would produce a male heir. Lady Eimear had the last laugh when five months after her husband's death she delivered His Grace Aiden, ninth Duke of Northumblin. I have been given to understand that Her Ladyship has not forgiven the naysayers she had to cope with while she was pregnant! She is in charge of the estates until His Grace attains his majority!" Sir Roulf delivered the news in almost pleased tones.

Keith now understood why the woman was so proud of her title, as well as her husband's. She had her husband's son to think of, and he was now pretty sure that it was that fact that had gotten her on the tram to come up to the mountain. She was a woman who would do her duty to her family no matter what. Keith suddenly felt very humble as he thought about Lady Eimear.

"Keith, I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day. There is a lot of information in what I've given you, about your family. That, along with our earlier talk, has been a great deal to cope with. We can talk tomorrow morning!" Sir Roulf told him, before he left the room.

Keith looked at the leather bound book, as well as the manila file folder, knowing it was going to tell him about his family. It was almost half an hour before he started reading though. His brain was a jumble of what Sir Roulf had said about his relationship with Allura, the story he knew so far of his family, and the story of Lady Eimear. Keith finally pushed all the thoughts to the side, and opened up the file folder first.


	7. Chapter 7

_**KathDMD: Yes, Lady Eimear is a tough broad!**_

_**Lance4Ever: You wish is fulfilled!**_

_**Five Days**_

It was the morning of Keith's fifth day at the chapter house, and he had just finished having breakfast. He had spent most of yesterday working in the garden, thinking about what he had learned about his family. At the back of his mind he thought it was rather funny at how much time he had been spending in gardens lately. At least this one didn't have a sundial in it, being a vegetable garden!

The information on his family had given him more than he'd known before, but in the big scheme of things, it didn't reveal anything about why he had been raised on earth. His Great-Grandfather had been reported as lost when his Explorer ship did not return from the mission it had been sent on. He read about the memorial service that had been given for him, and discovered that he had graduated from the Arusian Military Academy at the top of his class.

His Grandfather had also attended the Academy, and graduated at the top of his class too. Keith had smiled when he read it, because he had been top of his class at New West Point. He was glad he was holding up the family tradition! There were details about his Grandfather's time with the Arusian Air Service, and that he had achieved the rank of Vice Admiral, as well as the Iron Cross for bravery. Keith knew that was the highest combat award given, and he'd enjoyed reading about what his Grandfather had done to earn it.

It was reading about his Grandfather's death that he found a little more information about his Father's so called death. His Grandfather had died in a hunting accident two months after the death of his son, Keith's father. The write-up included the fact that the water death was in fact a boating accident, and neither the body nor the sail boat was ever recovered. In reading between the lines of the story of his Grandfather's death, it sounded like the man had not gotten over losing his only son. There was something about the wording of the hunting accident that made Keith wonder if it was suicide. He felt very sad for what the man must have gone through.

From the records he was able to figure out where his family's estate had been, and knew the area had been laid bare by the Drules. It was now a thriving community, and Keith knew he wouldn't pursue it. He didn't find any information about his Great-Aunt, but he was intrigued that there was a title in his family. There was not a lot he remembered about his parents, but knew that they had lived in a small, simple house.

He saw a picture of his family crest, and chuckled when he saw that the main part of the design involved a fox rampant over a green three pronged leaf. Keith knew that the fox meant 'One who will use all that they may possess of wisdom and wit in their own defense'. Thinking about everything he'd done to get Black Lion back, he thought it was a fitting symbol.

Keith had been enjoying the peace and calm that being cut off from the outside world offered. He knew that if there was a true emergency, Coran could get hold of him. His original plan had been to continue the self imposed isolation until he left the Chapter House. Keith had copied all the information from the book and folder that Sir Roulf had shown him. He could research it at his leisure, and figure out his next move.

Keith though, while tilling and weeding the garden had given a great deal of thought to what the older man had told him. He thought it interesting that both Coran and Sir Roulf had made the same observation about his relationship with Allura. He had always held Coran in high esteem, and he saw the same qualities in Sir Roulf. These were men who had seen a great deal, and knew when to react.

Losing his Father at an early age at affected Keith greatly, and he knew that he had always gravited to older men for companionship. He had no idea of Coran's experience with women, but he could tell that Sir Roulf was very experienced.

The older knight was why he was now in the data center, doing research that had nothing to do with his family. Sir Roulf had laid out succinctly his failings in his dealings with Allura, and most of it he agreed with. However, he took great exception to the man's comment that Lance had entertained Allura with no problem, while he had not.

It had been in the middle of the afternoon, while dealing with particularly nasty bindweed in the tomatoes that Keith had had his brainstorm. He thought back to all the pictures he'd seen on the newsfeed, at the Inn, before he boarded the tram. They were almost all from when he was gone, hunting his Lion.

Keith did not want to give Sir Roulf the satisfaction of being right, so he had found an ancient porter, and explained that he needed to communicate with his unit. The man had responded right away, being impressed that the head of Voltron was a Knight of Arus. Keith almost laughed at how he had been received when he had first arrived, compared to now. Sir Roulf had asked him why he had not given his rank when he'd first arrived at the house, as he should of. However, he accepted Keith's story that he'd been hoping for privacy.

He had no problems finding what he was looking for, since it was the largest story in the galaxy. He hardened his heart, not letting himself get sidetracked by how happy Lance and Allura looked. Keith wanted proof for his theory, hoping he was wrong, but knowing he would not be.

The pictures on earth had been easy to place, because he knew all the places Lance liked, from their time at the Academy. There were other, newer places too, but Keith was most interested in the pictures from Arus. Some of the pictures were from official events that Lance had escorted Allura, mostly court functions, or military reviews. He had to admit that his best friend always looked impeccably turned out, but Keith knew Lance's uniforms were tailored for him.

It was the so called 'candid' ones that interested Keith. By the time he had arrived back, Arus had rebuilt and was enjoying the same level of peace and prosperity from before the war. Keith had been shocked to find out how elaborate society was. Even with Wade terrorizing the galaxy, there had been balls, parties at the yacht club, horse racing, and polo.

Keith saw a lot of pictures from these so-called society events, and in most of them Allura was with Lance. They were all from before he had been back, and they all coincided with when Lance was on Arus. He thought it was very interesting that once he was back, the pictures came to an end. Whatever had been going on stopped the same time he had shown up back on Arus.

He wondered why they had stopped, once he came back. It would be easy to deny the whole thing, blaming it on Wade. Allura needed to start flying again, and only had so much time. However, he saw that she was still doing personal appearances, and going out to some society events, even if not as many. Lance was not in any of those pictures though.

Sir Roulf had told him what he himself would have done, after being separated from the woman he loved for five years. Keith wondered what would have happened if he had pressed his suit, then and there. He wondered whether he would be at the Chapter House now!

Keith was sitting on a backless stool, in front of a holoscreen, the only person in the data center. He had lots of pictures of Allura and Lance up on the screen, and was busy placing dates. Lance had visited Arus quite a bit during the five years, and Allura had made several trips to earth. Keith found it interesting that Lance had found the time, considering he was Head Flight Instructor, and helping him hunt Black Lion.

"If you had a bottle of scotch I would assume you were wallowing in your misery!" Keith's thoughts were broken by a cool voice, and he turned around to see Lady Eimear standing there. She was regarding him with an amused detachment in her grey-blue eyes. He felt like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I'll leave you to your pity party, but do want to warn you, Commander Kogane, that this place is rather public, with a lot of traffic!" She said in the same cool voice and turned to leave.

"Wait, please don't! I want to talk to you! And call me Keith!" Keith declared, hastily shutting down the holoscreen. She turned back around and looked him, while he noticed how tall she was. He was over six feet tall, and she could almost look him in the eye.

"I hope you don't think I can offer advice on your situation!" Lady Eimear said in a dry tone, and Keith wasn't sure if she was joking or not. "Why don't we go somewhere else, if you want to talk?" She added.

He followed her out of the room, and down to the first floor, where they entered a sitting room. The focal point was a beautifully carved fireplace, with an elaborate mirror above it. Reflected in the mirror, from the opposite wall, was a very old tapestry. It featured animals in a forest, and Keith wasn't sure if it was pale to begin with, or had faded over the years.

The furniture was upholstered in green velvet, and the curtains at the window were a green and gold print. The room looked very old, but comfortable and warm. It was also one that Keith had not seen before. He asked about it, and was told that it was set aside for women visitors.

"So you want to talk to me?" Lady Eimear asked, and went on "I have to say I was a little concerned about seeing you again, after the scene on the tram! However, I rather think we are on a level playing field now!" She said in a satisfied tone, as she sat down in a wing back chair. She crossed her legs very carefully, while smoothing the skirt of the black dress she wore. Keith took a seat opposite her, on the sofa.

"I was very moved by the service for your husband, Your Ladyship. He was a very brave man." Keith said, starting out slowly. She smiled at him, inclining her head. He decided to try to find out what he had been wondering about.

"It is possible that I was in the battle that he died in." Keith stated, and saw the woman give him a quizzical look.

"I would not be surprised. He was a Wing Commander with one of the fighter squadrons that provided support for the Lions and Voltron." Lady Eimear told him, adding "If you are concerned that I will be upset, that you might have caused his death, don't be. Percy loved to fly more than anything else, and if he had to die that was how he would have wanted to go! He felt it a great honor to fly with Voltron."

"Well, when I get back, I'm going to look the battle up. I wish I could remember right now, but there were so many!" Keith explained, feeling bad that he didn't have the details right at hand. He also wished that she'd not caught him looking at those pictures. He decided to try to explain.

"Your Ladyship, about the holoscreen, I was just." Keith started to say, but Lady Eimear held up one of her slim white hands. It was the right one, and the gold wedding band gleamed in the light of the room.

"Please Commander, don't worry about it. I guess the engagement was a shock to you, but I will tell you that there have been rumors for quite a while. Since you were gone though, you would not have heard them." She said in a calm voice, as she titled her head to look at him. He noticed that her blond hair was pulled back, highlighting the perfect oval of her face and her flawless skin. It also made her eyes look even bigger than they were.

"Call me Keith. And no, the engagement was not a shock, I knew about it before I came up here." He said trying to sound like it was not big deal. Keith saw though, the woman wasn't buying it.

"If it wasn't a shock, why are you up here and not at the Castle, helping your friends celebrate?" Lady Eimear asked in a 'don't mess with me tone'. Keith remembered his thought from the tram that he wouldn't want to play poker with this woman. Nothing escaped her, and obviously only heights upset her.

"The outcome was not what I was hoping for. And I thought you already said you couldn't provide any advice!" Keith said, deciding to meet cool with cool. He didn't like how this woman seemed to get under his skin.

"Keith, I don't offer advice because people usually don't want it, unless it is what they want to hear. I can certainly listen, and you don't have to worry about me telling tales. Since I would not want you gossiping about me, I won't be gossiping with about you! Lady Eimear said with superior smile.

"I feel kinship and empathy with your friend, Keith. Arus is a sexist society, and it is hard to be a powerful woman." The woman added, looking off in the distance. For the barest moment he saw pain flash through her eyes. Then it was gone, and the formal mask was back.

"Your Ladyship, I have no doubt that you are capable of holding your own, under any circumstance. It is a trait that is to be admired!" Keith told her with an approving smile. This was a woman who would have dealt with the Drules, and Wade, without breaking a sweat, if her family was threatened!

"It is because I was raised on earth! As you know, things are more equal for women there!" Lady Eimear explained, and looked at him intently. Keith did not want to confess his shortcomings with Allura to this woman, but maybe she knew about what had gone on while he was gone.

"You mentioned that there had been rumors for a while; why is that?" Keith asked, trying not to sound too interested. Lady Eimear gave him an appraising look, and he realized that he would never be able to lie to this woman.

"Commander McClain has been escorting your friend to official events for quite a while, and they also socialized a lot. I was actually at an event, a year ago, that they were both at. They seemed very happy, and he was very supportive of her. It can be hard for some men to be involved with a powerful woman." She told him, and Keith felt, again, like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"He is well regarded by the Arusians, and it is not like there were too many other suitors for her!" Lady Eimear added, not understanding how it felt like a knife twist to Keith.

"Lance is a good man." He said, taking a deep breath. She saw the look in his eyes, and felt bad.

"I'm sorry; this is hurting you, Keith. We don't need to continue the conversation." Lady Eimear got up to leave, but Keith he stopped her.

"There was an instructor at the Academy, New West Point not the Arusian one, who told me that if you can't handle the answer don't ask the question. I asked, because I wanted to know!" Keith told her, with a sad smile.

"Do you love her?" Lady Eimear asked bluntly, and Keith's shoulders sagged.

"I thought I did, but I have been told by two people I think highly of, that I really only loved an image of her." Keith took another deep breath, hating telling this woman that.

"It doesn't matter whether it was her, or your image of her, it was still love! I feel for you, Keith." She reached over and took his hand. He was surprised at how warm it was, when she looked so cool and pale. Keith thought about what she was saying, and understood her point. Love is love, no matter what form it takes.

"Thank you, Lady Eimear for that!" Keith told her, smiling. She removed her hand, and for some reason he wanted her to leave it there.

"Well, I'm not sure what I did, but ok. Please call me Eimear, by the way." She told him, suddenly not sounding so formal. Keith decided he wanted change the subject.

"I was surprised I hadn't seen you before this morning, Eimear." Keith said, wondering what the woman had been doing with her time.

"This has been a nice break for me, so I have spent a lot of time resting and reading. Normally I work very hard when I'm at home. I have spent a fair amount of time in the data center though, keeping an eye on my interests, and on my son." She exclaimed, and he saw how her face lit up when she mentioned her son.

"I'm sure he misses you a great deal." Keith told her, and watched as the woman shook her head.

"Aiden is ten, and getting to that stage that he really doesn't want to be a mama's boy anymore." Eimear explained, and Keith told that her that he probably missed her more than he let on.

They spent the time until lunch chatting about her son, and her estates. She knew a great deal about farming, and business he found out. They also talked about earth, comparing notes on the places they had been. Keith was surprised at how quickly the time passed, and that how pleasant it was to sit with Eimear. She was an intriguing woman, and he realized later that he had not thought about Allura or his family's history.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank you to my reviewers for the great response to the last chapter!**_

_**Going Home**_

It had been a week since Keith had arrived at the Chapter House. He had not found the answers to his family history, but he was slowly coming to terms with Lance and Allura. He was still planning on talking to them about his theory, but more for informational purposes. Keith knew that he could discuss the issue and not get angry about it.

Keith had been surprised at how his 'internal anger' as he referred to it, had dissipated. He and Sir Roulf had talked about it, and he had come to understand that so much of it was because watching his parents die in front of him, and not being able to do anything about it. Sir Roulf had pointed out to him that denying and burying things only bred poison. The truth might hurt, but it kept one clean.

He saw how his illusions had hurt the relationship he might have had with Allura, along with other people too. He was too defensive, and that only kept people away. Sir Roulf had also told him that making assumptions about people was unfair, because it cut off any kind of relationship he might have with them.

He and Eimear had spent some more time together, which had been nice. She had made it clear that she wanted to rest a lot of time, and Keith had understood. It was similar to his refusal to make contact with anyone at the Castle. They had eaten together though, and had talked about her son.

Aiden was getting ready to enter the 'Ecole de Pages', the prep school for the Arusian Military Academy. Keith had not realized that most young Arusian males, until they were ten or eleven were educated on the family estates by tutors and or governesses. The school was in the capital city, and was a day program. Eimear was going to open up the family's town house, so Aiden could come home at night. However, it would still be a change for the young man.

Keith, having spent more time than he cared to think about in the foster care system, could feel for the young man. Eimear was concerned about how sheltered her son was, with no other boys around. He had been surprised when he had found himself telling Eimear about his life, before he entered New West Point. She had been relieved by what he had told her, about the resiliency of young boys.

He figured that it was because of Sir Roulf that he could talk to Eimear about his early life so easily. There was also the fact that he wanted to reassure her, seeing how concerned she was about her son. Keith had been pleased, without understanding why, to find out that she was going to be in the capital city, within close distance of the Castle. He put it down to the fact that it would be nice to have someone to talk to that wasn't connected to the royal court.

They were on the tram now, and Eimear was feeling calm. Her doctor had given her some travel medicine, which had been in her suitcase, for the trip. Before the trip up she had meant to take the pill, but had not had the chance. Her servant had put the bag in the luggage hold, so she had not been able to get to it. She had explained all this to Keith, who had smiled. He was out of scotch anyway, he told her. Eimear had laughed and said too bad, because the scotch had reminded her of her Father.

When they got to the bottom of the mountain, they were set to go their separate ways. However Keith decided that he really wanted to see her again, because it was so pleasant to be with her.

"Eimear, can I ask you something?" Keith said, as the tram came into the station. She looked at him, dressed in her black cloak with the soft fur trim. It framed her pale gold hair, her grey-blue eyes, and her fair skin. He thought she looked liked a black swan, so cool and perfect.

"Yes, Keith, what do you want to ask?" She said, looking at the tall man in his traveling clothes. She was intrigued at the blue eyes that offset the dark hair, and how handsome he was. Eimear felt bad for him, about the situation with the Queen. She admired the fact though that he was facing it head on.

"If I wanted to take you out to lunch, or something similar, would you be available?" Keith asked, not wanting to push it too far. He knew that he really wasn't great company, but felt like Eimear would understand. Eimear saw the hesitancy in Keith's eyes as he asked, and almost wanted to laugh. There were so many women in the Kingdom who would love to have him asking them that question.

"Please, do! It will be enjoyable to have someone who knows the city show me around." Eimear thought it would be nice to spend time with a man who wasn't trying to get his hands on her money. She also knew that with all he was going through, she didn't have to worry about his hands on her body. As a wealthy widow there had been quite a few men with their eyes on her. As they parted she touched his arm for just a moment, before her servant came up.

Keith made it back to the Castle late that night, having not wanted to stay at Kodarsk. He felt like he had been gone long enough, and the beds at the Inn had not been comfortable. It was after 9:00pm that he arrived at the Castle. He went to his room, and took off his jacket, glad to be back. There was a knock at the door, and he went to answer it, wondering if it was Lance.

It was Firth, carrying a tray of food. Keith realized it had been a while since he'd eaten, and he had planned on talking to the footman anyway. He welcomed him into his room, taking the tray said thank you, and also told him how nice the extra blanket had been. The Chapter House was very cold.

"My Uncle used to bitch and moan. Excuse me Commander, I didn't mean." Firth said, and Keith laughed.

"Honestly, I bet your Uncle said a hell lot more than that." Keith told the man, thinking about how cold the stone walls had been in his room. He told Firth that, who laughed, glad that the Commander was not upset about his use of language. Firth asked several questions about life at the house, and Keith told him, as they compared notes.

Keith only became aware, as he was almost done eating that Firth had been unpacking his bag. It came up because of a question the footman asked him.

"Commander, I saw that you wore you formal dress uniform?" Firth said, and Keith saw that the man had been busy while he had been eating and talking. He thought about what he would have done, a week ago, compared to now. Keith saw that Firth was happy to have the chance to talk about his Uncle, as well as his life.

"Yes, I did. We buried the remains of a knight, Sir Percival Ainsely. He had actually died over ten years ago, but he had wanted his remains to lie at the Chapter House." Keith told Firth, having come to understand the code of the Knights of Arus. He had received his initiation into the order before he had left the Chapter House.

"Mmm, Ainsely, that would be the Dukedom of Northumblin, right?" Firth asked, and Keith was somehow not surprised that Firth could produce that nugget of information.

"Yes, Sir Percival was the second son, and his widow was following his last request." Keith told the man, who smiled. Before the conversation could go any further, there was a knock at the door. Firth looked at Keith, who nodded his head, so he answered the door.

Lance walked into the room and said hello to Keith, and was surprised to see Firth there but said hello. The man excused himself, and when he was gone Lance sat down on the bed and looked at Keith.

"Are you all right?" Lance asked, and Keith gave him a puzzled look. "You have a tray of food in front of you that was brought from the kitchen, and you were letting Firth unpack your stuff. The Keith I know would have gotten his own food, and taken the man to task for touching your stuff."

Keith thought about what Lance was saying, and knew it was true. However, his week at the Chapter House had made him aware of how defensive he was a lot of the time. Part of his new mantra was to try to be more accepting.

"Firth had given me some information on the Chapter House before I left, and I was just telling him about the changes. His uncle was up there several times, before the war." Keith explained, and hoped that Lance would drop the subject. He was feeling slightly uncomfortable with Lance, but knew it was going to be like that for a while.

"So did you learn anything about your family? Are you really a duke or something?" Lance asked Keith, who proceeded to tell him everything he'd learned. Lance had a good laugh at the tradition of being first in your class, but agreed with Keith it didn't explain how he'd ended up on earth. He also thought it funny that Keith might have a title. Keith then asked about what had been going on while he was gone.

"Everything was calm while you were gone. We did various drills, which I sent you a report about. I also did several exercises that involved switching the pilots around, to different lions. I have to say that Hunk was not thrilled." Lance told Keith, and brought him up to speed on other happenings.

"You missed Bandor, who came to see Erik, and plead his case with Larmina." Lance told him with a smile, knowing what Keith thought of the young king.

Keith got a wry look on his face and said "I am so upset; not! What about that other prince who was going to come, idiot, or someone?" Lance told Keith all about Prince Fauk, his Prime Minister, and Princess Elena, who consoled Bandor with her blue eyes and dimple. He finished up with the good news about the bases that had been secured.

"Well good, Bandor won't be bothering us anymore. What about Sven, Daniel, and the haggerium infection?" Keith asked, pushing aside the thought that now Lance, Pidge, and Bandor all had someone to love.

"No progress, but Pidge is going to New Balto next week, because of some research that is being done at the University there. He is taking Larmina to introduce her to his family and friends." Lance told him, leaving out his opinion that Pidge just wanted to show Larmina off to his brother. He didn't blame his team mate though for that fact, as Larmina was hot. Lance was also enjoying how miserable Vince was, watching Larmina and Pidge together.

Lance had asked Larmina if she was taking the black dress, and she'd said yes. She then asked him if he wanted her to lend it to her Aunt for their honeymoon. Thinking about Allie made Lance realize he needed to bring the subject up with Keith. He'd been relived at how well things had gone between him and his friend so far.

"Keith, do you want to talk about our situation now, or wait until tomorrow. By the way, thank you for the notes you left. Allie and I were touched." Lance told his friend, and waited for a response. He wished he'd done it differently, but knew that no matter what, he would've ended up hurting his best friend anyway.

"No, now is fine. I won't say congratulations, as that would hardly be appropriate under the circumstances. But I understand things better now, Lance. I know that you make her happy, and that you will be a good husband." Keith told him, meaning it. He knew now what he should have done, and hadn't. It was also hard to hear Lance use his pet name for Allura.

Keith thought that, and looked at Lance, remembering what he had suspected up at the Chapter House. "Lance, can I ask you something personal?" Lance gave him a surprised look.

"Keith Kogane, wanting to talk personal? Did they give you a brain transplant up there?" Lance said, totally blown away by how Keith was behaving. "Sure, go ahead, ask away. If I feel it is too personal, I will tell you." Lance added, wondering what in the world Keith wanted to ask.

Keith hated admitting that he had looked at as many pictures as he had, but he wanted the answer to his question. "The newsfeeds had lots of pictures of you and Allura together, but most of them were from when I was gone. Why did you stop seeing her after I came back, Lance?" He put it out there, and waited for his friend's response.

"You will have to ask Allura that, quite frankly." Lance now knew, from talking to Allie that it was due to her old crush on Keith, but wasn't going to tell his friend that. Instead he admitted something to Keith "That was part of the reason, when you first came back, that I was so shitty to you. It really had nothing to do with wanting to command Voltron. Keith, I thought that she was seeing you, instead of me." Lance felt better, admitting it, not liking to remember how he had acted at the time.

Keith looked at his friend, and remembered the first couple of weeks that he'd been back. Lance had challenged him on every decision he'd made, and Keith had figured it was because Lance wasn't in charge anymore. He saw how he had made his assumptions, instead of asking his friend. Keith wondered how many other things he'd managed to fuck up over the years.

"I had planned on talking to her tomorrow anyway. And don't worry, I'm not angry anymore and we will have a better conversation. Lance, I feel bad that I upset her like I did." Keith confessed, and Lance gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey come on, she is telling you that she doesn't love you, and is marrying your best friend. I'm just glad you didn't come beat me up." Lance told him with a relived laugh. That made Keith think of Sir Roulf, and their conversation.

"Lance, you are my best friend, and I don't want to lose that. It is hard right now, but we'll get through it." Keith added, and Lance got a big smile on his face.

He'd been trying to figure out how to ask, or if he even should, but the time seemed right. "Keith, would you be willing to be my best man? I will understand if you say no." Lance put it out there, wondering what the response would be.

Keith knew that he was going to have to go the wedding no matter what, and if he had to go, he wanted to be at Lance's side. Keith told him yes, and Lance gave him a big hug. He knew that he had three weeks to get himself mentally prepared.

"Oh god, this means I have to throw you a bachelor party!" Keith exclaimed in horror. Lance had orchestrated several bachelor parties for various friends in the past, and they were always bacchanalia affairs. He told Lance that he would never equal the standard that had been set.

"Actually, I would prefer it that way. I'm a little less wild now." Lance told Keith, who laughed. He thought it would be interesting to see Lance as a family man. If there was any justice in the world, thought Keith, his friend would end up with several very pretty daughters. They chatted some more, and then Lance left. Before Keith went to bed, he sent Allura a note, asking to talk to her. He made it a point to suggest her office, as he was totally done with gardens.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Lance4Ever: A chapter with your boy! K/A will be the next chapter.**_

_**KathDMD: Fear not, Eimear will reappear, but not for a couple of chapters.**_

_**The First Day Back – Part One**_

It was a little after 6:00am, and Lance was already out of bed and dressed. He was making his way upstairs, to the family floor. That was the name for the third floor that had the bedrooms, along with the royal family's private living room, sitting room, and dining room. The second floor was given over to offices in one wing, and the state guest bedrooms in the other wing. The middle part of the floor was the library. The first floor held the state reception rooms, along with the throne room and ballroom. The pilot's quarters, and rec room, along with the kitchens, were in the basement. The hanger bay opened from the basement to the first floor, and to the outside.

Lance was heading up to Allie's room, to talk with her before Keith did. He also wanted to see her, and thought that having breakfast with her would be nice. Now that they were officially engaged, and their personal issues resolved, he was able to spend more time with her. Lance also knew that Allie needed someone looking out for her, and just for her.

He still had all the override codes for the Castle, from when he, Pidge, and Hunk had done the security system. They shared the codes, because they never which of them could get to Arus the quickest. Lance knew that Allie had never changed the codes, trusting all of them implicitly. He used the code to enter the third floor, and then went down to her room. After entering the code for her room, he walked in very quietly.

The room was dark, as the curtains were drawn against the morning sun. He saw Allie in her bed, curled up on one side. He went to the other side, took his boots off, and lay down on the bed. Lance moved over next to her, so her back was against his chest. He heard her murmur before she snuggled against him. He closed his eyes and sighed, enjoying how good she felt against him, and that his dreams had come true.

Allie's bright gold hair was loose and partially over her face, covering her neck. Lance brushed it back, feeling the soft tendrils curling around his hand. He took his fingers and lightly ran them along her jaw line, and then down her neck. She was still sleep, but moved against him, trying to get closer. He loved how she responded to him, even in her sleep.

Lance reached over and lightly nuzzled her ear, before he started tracing the outline of it with his tongue. He took a deep breath, liking the way she smelled, and how soft and warm she was. He moved his nuzzling down to her neck, using his tongue and lips along the way. He had put his arm over her body, and now he pulled her against him, wanting to feel all of her warmth.

She was asleep, but trying to figure out why she smelled Lance's leather jacket. Allie then became aware of a soft, ticklish feeling at her neck. It was sending jolts down to her core, and without thinking she moved her head so the ticklish feeling could spread. Something hard and warm was against her, and she positioned her body so that she could feel more of it.

Lance was starting to wonder how far he could go, to wake her up. He moved the sheet slightly and saw that the straps of her nightgown were thin and ruffled. He was almost tempted to push the one aside, to allow him more access to her soft skin. Lance decided though that he wanted her fully awake for that experience. Instead, his lips went down to her collar bone, where he lightly kissed and licked from her shoulder to the middle of her neck.

Allie felt the sheet being pulled away, and the tickles were now kisses. It call came together in her mind, and she got a big smile on her face. She didn't know what Lance was doing here, but it felt so good to be with him. She decided to pretend to be asleep for a little longer, to enjoy his presence.

"Darling, I saw that smile. I know that you are awake." Lance gave a low laugh, and Allie giggled. She turned on her back, still against him but looking up now. She was starting to feel her core get tight and hot, while her breath was coming fast. He was still kissing and licking her neck, and she let one of her hands muss his hair.

"I'll like you waking me up like this once we are married, but not sure you should be doing it now." Allie told him, trying to ignore what her body wanted. Lance stopped kissing her neck, and raised his head to look at her. Her dark blue eyes were still sleepy looking, her cheeks flushed, and she had a happy smile on her face.

"Consider this a dress rehearsal!" Lance told her with a grin. He wanted to kiss her, but that would mean getting her underneath him, and he wasn't sure his good intentions could stand that. He went to sit up instead, moving the pillows against the headboard. Allie raised herself up too, and Lance put his arms around her, pulling her close. She looked at his auburn hair, messy from her stroking it, and those soft brown eyes she could get lost in.

"Good morning Allie! I wanted to have breakfast with you." He told her. Lance knew that she ate breakfast in her room, unless she had an early morning meeting. He figured it would be the perfect time to talk to her in private.

"Oh Lance, I love the idea. Let me tell the kitchen." Allie said, but he stopped her, saying he already had. She sighed happily, glad that he'd taken care of it. He was so good about those kinds of things, and helping her out. She was all set to say something when the door opened, and her maid Dorcas came in.

"Good morning Your Majesty, good morning Commander!" The woman told the couple in bed. As part of the lady's maid code she made it a point not to be shocked that the Commander was with Her Majesty. Dorcas glad to see that the man was dressed, and above the sheets. He must not have spent the night she reasoned, thinking that he was being somewhat honorable.

Dorcas actually liked Commander McClain, and knew that he was very good for her lady. However, there were standards to be upheld, and she would be happy to explain them if necessary. She started opening the drapes, and Allura took that opportunity to go to the bathroom.

"Good morning Dorcas. Thank you for knocking." Lance told the woman with a teasing grin. She looked over at him, sitting in her lady's bed looking pleased with himself. Dorcas did see that he'd had the decency to take off his boots.

"Once you are properly married I will knock, Commander. I had not expected to see you upstairs before then." Dorcas told him in a firm voice. He was charming and good looking, but he'd take a mile if you gave him an inch. She would never admit it, but she enjoyed their give and take. He gave as good as he got.

"I wanted to have some private time and breakfast with Her Majesty. I was not up here until after 6:00am, and I am dressed." Lance told the woman in serious tones. He knew how much Dorcas was devoted to Allie, and how fiercely protective she was. He added "Dorcas, I love her, and I understand the rules."

"Dorcas, are you giving Commander McClain a hard time?" Allura came out of the bedroom, and Lance took the opportunity to look at how beautiful she looked, in a pale green silk nightgown that fit her well. The sunlight coming through the windows highlighted her body draped with the thin silk.

"She was just thanking me for taking my boots off before I got on the bed. I was raised right." Lance told Allie, while giving Dorcas a wink. The woman shook her head in pretend despair, but couldn't hide the smile she had. He was a nice man, she thought, and her lady was very lucky.

"The kitchen knows I am having breakfast up here, by the way Dorcas." Lance told the woman, who nodded her head. She excused herself to go see where the food was, hoping that he continued his good behavior in spite of the nightgown her lady was wearing. After she left the room, and the door shut, Lance gave Allie one of his long lingering all over the body looks.

"Honey, I have to say that while I'm not fond of nightgowns, that one is quite nice." Lance told her, using the lazy drawl he got sometimes. It made her feel warm and smooth all over.

"What do you mean, you don't like nightgowns Lance? I need to wear something to bed." Allie told him, her eyes getting large. He threw back his head and laughed loudly.

"Allie, what is the point of putting something on to go to bed when I'm just going to be taking it off of you?" He gave her a devilish grin as he said it, and Lance watched as she blushed a bright pink.

"You do understand that to have sex you have to take your clothes off, right?" Lance asked, in mock seriousness. Allie was remembering that he only wore his boxer shorts to bed. As she thought about being naked against him, and in bed; her thought processes shut down. Before she could say anything the door opened and Dorcas came in carrying the tray.

"I ran into Liza in the hall, so I figured I would bring the tray in." Dorcas told them, coming over to the bed. Allie usually ate off the tray while sitting in bed, and it now occurred to her that Lance would be there too. She decided that at least if she was under the covers he couldn't see her nightgown. She had not realized how sheer it was once the sun hit it.

"What is breakfast Dorcas?" Lance asked, as Allie got back under the covers. Dorcas put the tray, with its legs out to support it, in front of the Queen.

"Her Majesty usually has toast, coffee, and orange juice, Commander. Since you were joining her this morning, the cook included some things you would like." Dorcas told the man, and then asked Her Majesty if there was anything else she needed. Hearing that there wasn't, she left the room.

Lance started opening the covered dishes to see what there was. "Hmm, scrambled eggs, ham, fruit, and some of those croissant rolls. Very nice! I think I'm going to like it up here." Lance said, unrolling some silverware from a white cloth napkin.

"Well, I would get fat if I ate all that every morning!" Allie declared, but smiling. She knew that Lance liked a big breakfast, and at 6'3" his long, lean frame could handle it. She was well muscled and trim, but only 5'5"; it took less food for her to get full.

She had to admit, once she got over feeling self conscious, how nice it was to eat breakfast with Lance this way. It was warm and intimate, and he told her about of the happenings around the Castle that she normally would not hear about. When they finished eating he got up, and took the tray, setting it down on the floor. Lance got back into bed, and put his arms around her again, as she snuggled against him.

"This is lots of fun, but somehow I don't think you came up to have breakfast with me to tell me the Castle gossip." Allie declared, as she nuzzled against his neck. Lance sighed, wishing they were married right now.

"Yes, Allie you are right! I do have an ulterior motive, but I'm only looking out for you. Darling, I saw Keith last night. He told me he was going to talk to you today." Lance said to her, stroking her hair. She nodded her head against his shoulder.

"Yes, he wants to meet in my office this morning. What did he say? How was he?" Allie raised her head to look at Lance, who was looking at her with love in his brown eyes. She thought about kissing him, but decided not to. She wasn't sure if she could trust herself with her response to him.

"Allie, I'm wondering if those knights gave him a brain transplant." Lance declared, and Allie looked at him in shock. "Honey, when I got to his room Firth had brought him a tray of food, and was unpacking his bag." He told her, adding "I asked Keith about it afterwards, and he said that Firth's Uncle had been to the Chapter House, and they were talking about it."

Allie was trying to imagine the scene, and she just wasn't seeing it. "Honestly? Keith letting a servant do something for him?" His disdain for the servants was well known, causing handwringing and resentment with the staff.

"Ok, so beside all that, how was he with you?" She asked, wondering if he and Keith were still friends. She was trying to stay focus on their conversation, and not how good Lance's body felt against hers. It was important that Keith and Lance were friends, and Allie was relieved to see Lance smile.

"We had a nice chat, and while things are going to be weird for a while, he did say he would be my best man." Lance declared, looking happy. She was glad, because she knew how much the friendship meant to him.

"Honey, there is something you need to be aware of though, because he is going to bring it up." Lance told her, getting serious all of a sudden. He had already decided not to tell Allie what Keith had told him about his family, or their relationship. He would let Keith decide how much of that to reveal. Lance did think though that Allie needed to be aware of what Keith was going to ask her.

"Allie, he saw a lot of the pictures on the newsfeed, of us. Keith has figured it out that after he came back, you and I stopped doing things together." Lance told her, keeping his arms around her. He felt her sigh as she thought about the implication.

She reached over, and rubbed his chest with one of her hands, glad that he was holding her. "I have to confess my crush, right? Oh god!" Allie groaned, not wanting to go down that road again. Thinking about how stupid and bitchy she had been for all that time made her want to squirm. At the back of her mind she wondered if you could really be stupid and bitchy at the same time?

"Darling, you need to be honest with him and yourself too. What do you think would have happened if he'd said something when he first came back?" Lance asked her. They had talked about her shutting him out and why, but never in-depth like this. He knew she loved him, but he didn't want this hanging over their heads.

"You mean if he'd come back, swept me in his arms, and declared his love?" She asked, as she sat up straight, putting her hands in her lap. Allie thought about what he was asking, and she looked at him as she thought about her response. Until she had given him the news about her and Lance, she had never really been close to Keith emotionally, not in the way she had always been with Lance.

Allie told him that, adding "Lance, I would have gone along, sure that my teenage dreams were coming true. However, sometime between the third week of our engagement, and our first year wedding anniversary I would have woken up some morning, and realized how lonely I was. My relationship with Keith was based on an illusion, and it would have come out in our marriage, sooner or later."

"Are you going to tell him that?" Lance asked relived that she understood what her feelings for Keith had been. She smiled at the man she was going to marry, understanding that she would always be honest with him, because he would demand nothing else.

"I will tell Keith something along those lines, Lance. I want to see how he brings it up, and what he says about it. At the end of the day, I think the only thing he needs to know about are what my feelings towards him had been. Our relationship is ours, and I don't want to share that with anyone else!" Allie declared to him, meeting his direct gaze with hers.

Lance smiled, and took her hands in his. "Have I told you that I love you?" He asked, and Allie smiled at him. He was so handsome, strong, and wonderful.

"Yes, and you show me that you love me by how you care about me, and look out for me. Lance I want to give you that in return! I love you to." Allie declared, once again wishing she had not wasted so much time. He laughed, and kissed her lightly, not wanting to take it any further.

"Allie, just having you in my life is so much more than I ever thought I would have. You are wonderful, incredible, and make me so much more than what I would ever have been on my own. I love you!" Lance told her, keeping his arms around her. He pulled her back against the pillows, and she snuggled against him quite happily.

"I will say that your bed is very comfortable, and the pillows and sheets very soft." He told her, leaving it hanging for a minute before he went on "Quite frankly though, the décor makes your study look well done. There is nothing else redeeming in the room."

"When I was first getting the rooms done, Larmina offered to help me, but I turned her down. The staff that did the state rooms had already offered to do my rooms, and I didn't want to offend them." Allie sighed, and thought back to how nice Larmina's room was.

She said to Lance now "I told you that Larmina is going to redo our bedroom, and the study. You need to talk to her about what you like. She wants to do some sketches, but insists that she needs your input." Lance smiled, and laughed.

"You niece is a very smart woman, and I'm glad that you are finally seeing her that way." Lance told her in a serious voice.

"I knew that when I gave her Blue Lion, but then I mucked it all up, by thinking I was protecting her. And I don't think I really understood about love before. Thank you for that Lance." Allie told him, feeling very humble. She pushed herself close against him, and Lance groaned.

"Darling, I'm glad that you are good with Larmina, but right now I'm not too happy with her and Pidge!" Lance declared, and Allie looked up at him with a questioning glance.

"If the great genius was not enjoying Larmina's bed, you would not feel the need to be upright and moral." As Lance said it, he got up from the bed, and put his boots on. He looked at her, sitting among the pillows with the gold curly hair, and those amazing blue eye. Lance was getting an eyeful of her creamy skin on her neck and chest, with only those thin green silk ruffled straps holding up her nightgown.

"Lance, you are jealous of Pidge?" Allie asked with laughter in her voice, loving how Lance was looking at her.

"Darling, the only reason I am going along with this is because one, I love you, and two, Fredericks is giving us a quick wedding!" Lance told her taking a deep breath. He said good bye to her, taking her hand and kissing it. She promised to talk with him after her talk with Keith. Once he was gone, she wished he was still there.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: If you want more background, either before or after reading this chapter I refer you to Chapter 19 of 'All the Right Moves'. It has the reference to why Vince is so uncomfortable around Pidge, as well as some of Allura's thoughts on Keith's return.**_

_**KathDMD & Lance4Ever: Yes, our boy is very good at being wicked! Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter.**_

_**The First Day Back – Part Two**_

Breakfast was finishing up in the pilot's room, and Keith could not have been happier. Keith had gotten to breakfast first, having already worked out and read all of Lance's reports. He'd done a good job with the training, Keith thought, glad that the team had been in good hands.

Hunk came into breakfast next and Keith braced himself for complaints, based on what Lance had said. It turned out not to be as bad as he had anticipated. Hunk understood the purpose of the drill, he and Yellow had just not liked switching every day. Otherwise, Hunk thought that Lance had done a good job, but it was good to have Keith back.

Just as Hunk finished his story, Daniel and Vince came in to the room. Keith found it quite unnerving that they could reach each other's minds, and communicate without talking. They did seem glad to see Keith though, and asked questions about the Chapter House. As they were talking, Larmina came in looking wonderful. Her hair was up in a French braid, with the darker red pieces intertwining with the flame colored ones. She was smiling, and glowing like the morning sun.

Keith groaned inwardly as he watched Vince look at her, and then he saw Daniel get an annoyed look on his face. She went over and sat next to Hunk, and said hello to Keith. He was glad that everything that worked out with Pidge, Hunk, and Larmina. Keith had not realized that Vince liked her that much, and for a brief moment he felt sorry for Daniel, having to put up with Vince's unrequited love and lust. A man's fantasies should really stay private was his thought.

As he was thinking that, Pidge came in looking like a man who had everything he'd ever wanted. Keith wanted to laugh at the subterfuge that Pidge and Larmina were putting on. Everyone knew they were sleeping together, with Pidge spending almost every night in Larmina's room. He wondered what Allura's thought's on it were, hoping that she had come around about the relationship.

The rest of breakfast was spent catching up on what had been happening. Lance never showed up for breakfast, and Keith wondered if he was eating with Allura. He then put that thought out of his mind, not wanting to go there. If he was going to get through this, he could not be speculating on what Lance and Allura were doing. He had his own life to work on, and didn't need the distraction.

Instead he watched Vince look longingly at Larmina, while avoiding Pidge's eye. He seemed very uncomfortable around his idol, and at the back of his mind, Keith wondered why. He didn't think the team needed another romantic triangle, and wondered if he should talk to Vince?

A week ago he would have turned the talk over Lance, but now he saw that he was probably the better person to do it. Keith knew if the haggerium infection was going to be solved, Pidge and Vince needed to be working together. He sighed, and wished he had made his appointment with Allura earlier than he had, or maybe have suggested breakfast together.

Keith now made his way upstairs, and presented himself to Rigsby, glad to see that the man was in a better mood than last week. He greeted the sentry, who asked him how his trip had been. They chatted for several minutes before Allura buzzed Rigsby that the Commander could come in.

Rigsby was in a good mood, because of how things had worked out. He had gone from sure that he was going to be fired, because of Commander McClain, to drinking champagne to celebrate the man's engagement to Her Majesty. Rigsby would never know the details, but he saw everything and was good at reading between the lines.

While Keith was outside talking to Rigsby, Allura was sitting at her desk pretending to work. Instead she was thinking about her morning with Lance. It had been wonderful to have him wake her up, and wished they could have done more besides just have breakfast together. She was wondering if she would get any work once they were married. Allura was also concerned about the conversation they'd had about Keith. She took a deep breath and buzzed Rigsby.

"Good morning Allura. You look lovely." Keith said, meaning every word of it. Her gold hair was pulled back with her cornet, and her dark blue eyes were sparkling. She had on a red knit dress, trimmed in white, which was very becoming. He had never seen her wear red before, but noticed how well it set off her hair and eyes.

She looked a lot more rested, and relaxed than she'd had last week, or even in a long time. Keith knew when they had talked last she had been upset about Larmina, but even before the accident Allura had looked tense for quite a while. Now though, she looked happy; like a woman in love. The thought made Keith sad that he hadn't made he look like that. Remembering that that was part of the reason he was here, he sighed to himself.

"Hello Keith. Welcome back. How was your visit to the Chapter House?" Allura asked him, as she indicated the chair by her desk for him to sit. She had decided against the sofa, not wanting to remind him of the talks they used to have about Arus. Keith told her what he'd learned about his family, including the so called death of his Father. Keith told her about the estate, and the title, but stated that he wasn't going to pursue it.

"I understand your reasoning Keith. However, if your Aunt died with no issue the title is yours, whether you use it or not. You might not care about it, but you can't make that decision." Allura stopped, all set to bring up the point of his descendents. She decided that having broken the man's heart, she didn't need to be talking children with him.

"Allura, we can certainly discuss it again if I want to. Right now though I really want to focus on what happened with my Father." Keith told her, wanting to get off the subject. He didn't see that the title mattered, because he was sure he was never going to have anyone to pass it down to. He decided he wanted to get down to what he had come to talk to her about.

"My time up on the mountain was a good experience for me, Allura. It gave me a lot of time to think about things, and especially about you." Keith said, and went on. "I would like to apologize for how I acted when you told me about your decision. I didn't handle it well, and got very angry which I know upset you. I understand that you and Lance love each other, and as I said in my note to you, I will honor that." He wanted to see what her reaction to his statement was, so he waited.

"Keith, thank you for that, and for your letter. It was very generous of you to do, under the circumstances. I won't lie to you, I was shocked by your reaction, and the anger I saw in you. Thinking about it later, I can understand why the news was so upsetting to you." Allura had decided not to bring up what Lance had told her about Keith's parents, and just wanted to concentrate on their relationship.

"Allura, I have something I want to ask you about, and you can always tell me it is none of my business if you want. The coverage of the engagement was the biggest news story in the Galaxy, and I saw a lot of pictures of you and Lance." Keith stopped, to collect his thoughts. "You and Lance did a great deal of things together while I was gone, but it all stopped after I came back. Why?"

"Are you asking if it was because of you Keith?" She looked at the man opposite her, wanting to make sure she knew what he was asking.

"Yes Allura, I am. I had a lot of time to reflect the last week, and I know that I have made a great many mistakes in my dealings with people, and especially with you. I don't want to cast blame; I just want to understand for future reference." He explained, hoping that she believed him. Keith also hoped she would tell him the truth, so he would know he hadn't been totally wrong.

"It was because of my teenage crush on you. I was fifteen when I first met you, and you were so handsome and strong, come to save my kingdom. It was my favorite fairy tale come to life, and I fell for it hard." Allura smiled at the memory of that day on the stairs. She said "The next three years were incredible, life changing and a big part of it was because of you. You made me do things I'd never thought I could do, and I have to say thank you for that."

"When did it change for you?" Keith asked her, touched at what she had said about his influence on her. He saw her give him a sad smile.

"Keith, I understand now why you left the way you did, but still wished you would have said something to all of us before you left. As it was, we were left to deal with the fall-out from your decision. Hunk and Pidge had to put up with being demoted, Lance had to make nice to Wade, and I came home to rebuild Arus." She stopped, wanting what she was saying to sink in.

"The five years you were gone, we grew up and our lives moved on without you. Yes, Pidge was running the Den, and helping you, but he, along with Lance and Hunk, were also helping me rebuild Arus. Our relationships all changed with each other as that occurred." Allura hoped that he would see what had happened.

"Lance was very good company for you, as well as a big help, right?" Keith asked, knowing the answer already.

"He was, but I still had feelings for you Keith. I'm not going to deny it, and he was aware of it." Allura told him. Lance had told her that he had almost spoken up several times, but was afraid she was in love with Keith.

"Lance has already told me his thoughts when I first came back. What were your thoughts?" Keith asked as he looked at the beautiful, self-possessed woman sitting across from him. He thought about her at fifteen, and now, and realized how right Sir Roulf had been.

"At first I was so excited to see you Keith, because I still had those feelings from that teenage crush." Allura had thought confessing it would be hard, but it was more like dropping a heavy bag she'd been carrying around for a long time. Allura looked at him, and saw how handsome he was, in spite of the faint lines around his eyes.

"The thing was Keith; I wasn't a teenager anymore, but a woman. I kept on expecting something more from our talks, especially after we found out about your heritage, but it never happened." Allura told him, and added "We weren't the same people we had been five years ago."

"I see that now, but didn't a week ago. However, if I'd come back and told you that I loved you, what would you have done?" Keith asked, getting down to the big question.

Allura was glad that she and Lance had talked already, because otherwise she would have been blindsided by Keith's question. She would never have thought he would put all pieces together like he'd done. Maybe Lance was right, she mused; maybe the knights gave him a brain transplant.

"I would have been overjoyed, and swept off my feet Keith. But it would not have lasted, and I would have ended up very lonely, working way too much. You would have ended up miserable, and neither one of us would have understood why." Allura told him calmly.

"Keith, I didn't understand about what love was until last week. Larmina and Pidge showed me that, and I almost hurt them very badly. Lance made me understand why I was wrong, and how I was hurting myself too." She was still amazed at what Lance had done for her, and she had another thought.

"I was very bitchy, and very stupid Keith. It affected everyone, including you, and it wasn't fair of me. If I had understood six months ago what I understand now, we would not be having this conversation." Allura said to him.

"Allura, we've needed this conversation for a long time now. I was just too scared and angry to have it before. I knew that you had a crush on me, and I never did anything about it. I didn't encourage it, but I didn't discourage it either. In my mind you were the beautiful young princess on the staircase, and I never saw you in any other way." Keith told her in a heartfelt voice.

"Thank you for telling me the truth about your feelings, Allura. It makes it easier for me to understand why everything has happened as it has." He said with a small smile. Yes, the truth hurt as Sir Roulf had said, but it also kept you clean. "Lance has asked me to be his best man; are you all right with that?"

"Keith, I'm glad that your friendship with Lance is intact. I know how much you mean to each other, and I would never have forgiven myself if I had been the cause of it ending. Thank you for saying yes to him." Allura said with relief.

"I won't lie, things are going to be a little awkward for a bit, but as I said to Lance, we will get through it." Keith told her with a sigh. They spent another fifteen minutes talking about what was happening on Arus, and then he excused himself. After he was gone she smiled as she realized that this time she didn't need a drink, like she'd needed after her earlier conversations with Keith.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note: The references in this chapter can be found in 'All the Right Moves' chapters 15, 16, 17 & 18. Chapters 15 & 16 have Pidge's and Larmina's conversations about getting engaged. Chapter 17 is where Pidge and Hunk have their conversation, while the other references are in Chapter 18. That chapter also includes some of Lance's private thoughts about Allura. I include these notes because I know some readers want to know the back story.**_

_**KathDMD: Very perceptive of you! Our buddies from Pollux will be showing up in the next chapter! This one mentions Eimear, but she will appear 'in full' in the chapter with the royal ball.**_

_**Lance4Ever: Thank you for your high praise of the last chapter! I really wanted to do right by Keith and Allura.**_

_**Castle Conversations**_

Keith was sitting in his office, reviewing some memos from Galaxy Alliance. It was two weeks since he'd been back, and a week before the wedding. The two weeks had been hard at times, having to watch Allura and Lance together. He had understood that there were certain events he had to be at, to help the couple celebrate. People watched him, wondering how he was dealing with it all.

He was glad that he'd had the week at the Chapter House, as it helped him handle the people who wanted to help him. Keith saw now that they were concerned about him, and he was glad he was able to acknowledge that. He was working out a great deal, and had almost given up alcohol, except when there was a toast. Then he only had a sip, even when Pidge and Larmina returned from New Balto and announced their engagement.

There was a knock on the door just now, and Hunk came in. They said hello, and chatted about the final details for Lance's bachelor party. Keith had been glad when Hunk had offered to help with the party, and the big guy had come up with a really good plan. He knew that there was a lot more inside Hunk than people realized.

"Keith, listen it's just us now. How are you doing? It's not quite the same, but I can relate to what you are going through, because of Larmina and Pidge." Keith looked at Hunk's gentle expression, and was touched that Hunk was asking, and opening up about his hurt.

"Hunk, I won't lie; some days are better than others. It is what it is though, and we all have to go forward." Keith said, being honest with his teammate. He had a thought and asked "Things seem really good with you, Pidge, and Larmina though now. What was it like at first?"

"When Pidge told me I was in the kitchen, getting ready to eat an egg salad sandwich I had just made. I was all excited to try it, because I had used stone ground mustard instead of the regular stuff. It's funny, but since that night, I still can't eat egg salad. It used to be my favorite." Hunk mused, and Keith saw his eyes get a faraway look. Somehow Keith was not surprised that his recollection involved food.

"I was hurt, and angry. I actually told Pidge that Larmina only liked him because he was DJ Prong. Then he told me that they had been involved way before her birthday party. I felt petty and mean, in addition to hurt and angry." Hunk finished his story, looking down the desk.

"What made it better? I mean what did you do?" Keith asked, trying to remember if he was even aware of what was going on. He realized that he wasn't, being too wrapped up in his own situation at the time.

"Honestly, what made it better was imagining Allura and her crossbow, coming after Pidge. I came up with some pretty lurid scenarios in my mind, while I avoided my Little Buddy and Larmina the entire time. I felt bad anyway, and that made me feel worse! Then one day, Yellow Lion and I were talking, and he pointed out that I had not lost Larmina's friendship. He also told me that Pidge had cared enough about me to tell me the truth. That was the turning point." Hunk smiled, remembering how happy Pidge had been when they had made up.

Keith smiled as he thought about the crossbow. He told Hunk about the conversation he and Lance had had, when Lance had told him about the couple. That made him think of Vince, and he decided to talk to Hunk. He had been all set to have his conversation with Vince, but then the young man had requested leave. He was due back tomorrow.

"Hunk, I don't think we are the only ones on the wrong side of the wheel of love. Have you seen how Vince looks at Larmina? And how he behaves around Pidge?" Keith brought the subject up, knowing that Hunk was close to the cadets. The big man rolled his eyes and sighed.

"The one I feel sorry for is Daniel! In spite of all the trouble he caused, I don't think it is fair that he has to see everything in Vince's mind. At one point I thought Daniel liked Larmina too, but he seems to have moved on." Hunk told Keith, being aware of Vince's attraction for Larmina. He did add "I don't know why he is so weird around Pidge, but I have noticed it too."

"I had planned on talking to him, but then he left for his trip. I will follow up with him when he returns. If we are going to cure the haggerium problem, they need to be working together." Keith said, and Hunk nodded his head.

"You know, you might not need to talk to him, if his trip was successful." Hunk stated, and Keith looked at him quizzily. Hunk explained that Daniel had told Vince that he needed to get laid, and given him a link to a sex resort. He finished up by telling Keith that was where Vince was.

"Honestly, I don't think I want to know how Daniel, who is what seventeen? Anyway, I don't think I want to know how he knows about sex resorts! At least Vince is eighteen." Keith looked shocked, but Hunk explained about Daniel's Aunt and her various boyfriends. Keith privately wondered if maybe Allura needed to have another talk with her Father, about why he chose Daniel.

"Keith, listen I want to ask you something, but please don't get offended." Hunk stated, getting off the subject of Daniel.

"One of my new goals is to be more open to people around me Hunk, so I will try not to get offended." Keith stated with a smile, thinking how far he had come already, having this type of conversation with Hunk.

"You know the big ball, a couple of days before the wedding? To announce Pidge and Larmina's engagement, and celebrate Allura and Lance's wedding?" Hunk said, and Keith nodded. Hunk continued on "Do you need a date? The woman I'm going with has some friends and I'm sure I can set you up with someone." He left it hanging there, hoping he had not upset Keith.

"Who is the woman that you are going with Hunk?" Keith asked with interest. Hunk explained that it was someone he had met at a garden party several months earlier, before he got sidetracked by Larmina. He'd run into her a couple of weeks ago, and they had gone out since then.

"I'm glad for you Hunk, and I will look forward to meeting her. I also appreciate your offer to set me up, but I already have a date for the occasion." Keith said with a smile, and added "Is there anything else? I was hoping to finish this report." Hunk looked startled, but smiled. He excused himself and left.

Keith had already asked Eimear several days ago, when they were having lunch. He'd been back almost a week when he had decided to see if she had just been kind up at the Chapter House, or if she had been serious about seeing him. Keith had hit a brick wall with where to take her though. He didn't want to go somewhere that he would run into a bunch of GA people, and he didn't want some society spot either.

He knew that Lance would know some places, but he had no interest in bringing Lance into this. Keith had finally decided to ask Firth if he knew somewhere. He and the footman were developing a close relationship, and Keith was finding it enjoyable to see someone else's outlook on life. The man knew about a good restaurant that featured excellent patio dining. It was out of the way, not well known, but the food was very good. Firth had not asked him why he was asking, which he appreciated.

Eimear had been glad to hear from him, Keith could tell from her voice, and she thought the restaurant sounded nice. They had ended up having a great meal, and talking for another hour after they finished eating. They talked about her son, and how school was going for him, as well as her getting the town house back into shape.

She had asked him about the situation with Allura, and he was able to be honest with her about it. It was when he was talking about some of the events he'd been at with the couple that he remembered the ball. Keith had asked her, and Eimear had been thrilled to say yes, telling him it was the biggest event, besides the wedding. They parted that afternoon both very happy with the outcome of the lunch.

While Keith was reminiscing about Eimear, Hunk was racing down to Pidge's workshop in the hanger bay. He could still hear Keith telling him that he had a date for the ball. When he arrived at the workshop, he saw Larmina, Daniel, and Lance there with Pidge.

They were looking at a holoscreen that Pidge had up, and Hunk recognized the diagram for radizilon. That was the element that had made the robeast that took Larmina down so unstoppable. He knew that Pidge was trying to figure out how it had been stabilized enough to be used as a fuel source.

"Keith has a date for the ball!" Hunk announced, after looking around to make sure it was just them.

"Good, he is letting you set him up?" Lance looked relived as he said it. He and Allie had been concerned about how lonely Keith looked at some of the events they had done together. They had talked with Hunk about maybe setting him up with someone.

"No, he already has a date!" Hunk announced again, and this time everyone looked at him open mouthed.

"He told you that he had already asked someone?" Lance asked for clarification, not believing what Hunk was saying.

"Why shouldn't he already have a date? He is good looking, and there are lots of women who would love to go out with him. Now that he can't moon over my Aunt anymore, he is probably more aware of them." Larmina announced in knowing tones.

She had not said anything to her Aunt, but she and Pidge had talked about it. She had thought for quite a while that either her Aunt or Keith should fish or cut bait. It was why she had always been sure that Lance was the better choice, thinking that her Aunt and Keith would never manage more than a staring contest.

Pidge had been thrilled when Allura had told him that she was getting engaged. When he had asked Larmina to marry him, she had told him that she couldn't get married before her Aunt. So he really didn't care who Allura married, as long as she did. Pidge had been surprised that it was Lance, until he remembered the conversation they'd had, when Lance had found out about him and Larmina.

Pidge agreed with her now, and added "I wonder who it is?" That caused a great deal of speculation among them. Lance was trying to think if any of the GA officers who it might be, but couldn't come up with a possible choice. He then tried to think if any of the older officers had daughters that were the right age. He was sure that it wasn't someone at court, because it would have been all over the Castle by now.

Daniel agreed with Lance, and added that he didn't think it was a GA person either. He and Vince were escorting the twin daughters of the GA's commanding officer to the ball. Daniel was sure he would have heard if it was someone in that social group.

"I guess we will just have to wait until the ball." Hunk said, and added "Is anyone else hungry?"

It was two days later, and Daniel was looking for Hunk, hoping to have a private chat with him. Vince had come back from his time off, and had not resolved his problem. Since they were reading each other's minds, it was also Daniel's problem. He had tried to talk to Vince, to explain how things worked with men and women.

Daniel had decided that maybe he was too close to Vince's age for the guy to listen to him. Never mind the fact that Daniel had way more experience with women, and Vince was still a virgin for heaven's sake! He reasoned that Vince might listen to someone older, so he tried to think of which pilot would be best for the job. Lance had the most experience, but Vince would not relate to someone whose love life was going well.

Daniel knew Pidge was totally out of the question, since he was a big part of the problem, so that left Hunk or Keith. Keith could offer wisdom on having your heart broken, but Daniel wasn't comfortable explaining Vince's situation to their commanding officer. This was why he was now looking for Hunk.

He found him about to go to the Hunkyard, so he asked if he could go along. Daniel was not supposed to leave the Castle without permission, but since Hunk was along it would be fine. Hunk also wondered if Daniel wanted to get away from Vince and his mind. They took Yellow Lion out to the yard, and Daniel gathered his thoughts as Hunk worked.

He wasn't going to tell Hunk what Vince had seen, both because it was way too private, and because Hunk had been smitten with Larmina. He didn't need to know the sex life of his ex-crush and his best friend. However, Vince really needed to get beyond his hang up about Larmina and sex.

Hunk had Daft Techno Kat blasting in Yellow, while they searched the Hunkyard. He had explained he was looking for a specific type of metal, for one of Pidge's experiments. After a while they took a break, and he brought out a snack for him and Daniel to eat. They were sitting in the shade from the hull of an old Drule ship, talking about music.

"I wish Stereolatic would put something new out, but understand why it hasn't happened. Honestly, the music scene is almost dead right now!" Hunk declared, and then went on to talk about the music festival him, Pidge, and Larmina were going to, after Allura and Lance got back from their honeymoon.

Daniel was glad that Hunk had brought the subject of Pidge up, because that would make it easier to get the conversation going. "Can I talk to you, man to man, Hunk?" He asked now, and Hunk gave him a weird look. He braced himself for what Daniel might want to ask.

"Sure Daniel. Are you having girl trouble?" Hunk said, with an inkling of what was coming. He didn't see Daniel as the type to have girl trouble, so he figured it was about Vince.

"Actually it concerns Vince's girl trouble." Daniel said, and went on to explain that the trip did not solve the problem. Vince had gotten drunk the first day, on fruity drinks with umbrellas, and then gotten vilely ill. By the time he recovered he was the laughing stock of the resort.

"Did anyone tell him he is supposed to drink scotch, or whiskey? Fruity drinks, really? Yuck!" Hunk stated, with a nasty look on his face. He believed in good scotch, and a rare steak, for solving most problems. Sake was not bad, but you didn't want to get drunk on that stuff!

"I guess not. Vince is the only son of older parents, and he has been rather sheltered. I think that is some of his issue with Larmina and Pidge." Daniel explained, and then tried to figure out what to say next. It had been much easier in his mind.

"Here's the thing, Vince thinks about doing things with Larmina that guys think about. Fine and normal, but Vince is embarrassed that he is thinking of her in that way, and then there is the fact that his idol is doing the things to her that Vince thinks about, well, do you get the picture?" Daniel hoped that would cover what was going on.

Hunk nodded his head, understanding what Daniel was saying. Hunk had older brothers, so he'd grown up hearing them talk about girls. He could see that Vince, being an only child of doting parents, would not have been given the same facts of life that Hunk had received. Vince would have benefited from being at the Academy, with other boys.

"Well that explains why he is acting so weird around Pidge. But doesn't he realize that those thoughts are normal? I don't know how the mind reading thing works between you two, but I presume you've tried to reason him?" Hunk asked Daniel, wondering what he was getting himself into.

"Please! Yes, I have, and he was right there when we all talked about how Keith should have just gone and gotten laid. He just can't get over his hang up about Larmina having sex with Pidge." Daniel put it out there for what it was.

"Vince doesn't seem to understand that women like to have sex too!" Daniel declared, finishing off his lament.

"You're kidding, right? Does he think they just lay back and put up with it? Maybe he needs to watch porn?" Hunk was trying to fathom what Daniel had just told him. Daniel almost burst out laughing at that thought. Vince was shocked enough after watching Pidge and Larmina in the hot springs, he would hate to see what would be in his mind after watching some of the internet stuff.

"God, please don't do that to me! It is bad enough as it is, what I have to put up with." Daniel sighed, and Hunk gave him a pitying look. He wondered if this was a really bad form of karma, getting back at the boy for all the trouble he had caused. In spite of it all, Hunk didn't think Daniel deserved a front row seat on Vince's sex trauma.

"Daniel, you want me to try to talk to him, don't you?" Hunk asked with a sigh. He had come to terms with his feelings for Larmina, and really didn't want to open that can of worms again. He then remembered talking to Keith about this issue, and Keith had said that he had been all set to talk to Vince.

"I just thought that maybe hearing it from someone older, a guy that he looks up to, might help him understand the situation." Daniel said, wishing he wasn't having this conversation with Hunk. The big guy looked at Daniel, and saw how sheepish he looked.

"Ok, I agree that someone needs to talk to Vince, but it won't be me. Keith and I were actually talking about Vince the other day, so I will have him do it." Hunk didn't want to explain to Daniel why he didn't want to do it. He wanted the matter, about his feelings for Larmina, to stay between him and Pidge. He did not know that it was Daniel who had cornered Pidge into telling Hunk about him and Larmina.

Daniel was surprised that Hunk was going to pass the buck, and to Keith of all people. He then remembered that Hunk had been after Larmina at the same time Pidge was already taking her out. He saw that Hunk probably did not want to listen to Vince go on about Larmina. He decided that it was worth a shot with Keith, and told Hunk that. They got back into Yellow, and went back to looking for the metal Pidge wanted, the Zarokian Freaks blasting on the sound system.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note: I am glad that everyone is excited about the royal ball. Keith and Eimear are going to make a striking couple. Spoiler alert: she won't be wearing black! However, we have a couple more chapters first, because of our friends from Pollux.**_

_**Poker and Pollux**_

It was less than a week to the wedding, and Lance, Hunk, and Fredericks were playing poker. Lance had been thrilled to find out that the elderly count played cards, and then less thrilled when he found out how good the man was. He would have agreed with Sir Roulf's comment that Fredericks had hollow legs and incredible luck.

"Lance, why are you down here taking my money, instead of being with Allura?" Hunk asked, as Lance put down four of a kind.

"Don't count your money yet, Lance. In honor of your fiancée, I have a royal flush!" Fredericks declared with a laugh as he laid his cards down. Lance looked shocked, and then shook his head. He took a drink of whiskey, and then lit a cigar.

"I am here because Allura is having girl time with Romelle!" Lance declared after exhaling a stream of smoke. Romelle had come in the day before, to spend time with Erik.

"I heard that she is taking Erik, and Nanny, back to Pollux, after the wedding. Can you believe that?" Hunk said, as he poured himself several fingers of Lance's Irish whiskey.

"Actually it is a big relief that Nanny is going to Pollux, and not coming back to the Castle." Lance said, taking another puff of his cigar. In fact Nanny had declared that she would rather go anywhere in the galaxy than see her princess married to that hooligan. Lance had been the one pilot that Nanny had always been the most annoyed with.

"Her treatment seems to have helped, and she has really taken charge of her life. She has moved into a nice house, close to Bandor's palace, and hired some servants. Romelle also started a support group to help young mothers with new babies." Lance explained, being very impressed at how Romelle had pulled herself together.

"Her Highness' efforts, on behalf of mothers, are being well received on Pollux." Fredericks said, as he lit a cigar.

"I still really don't understand all that happened?" Hunk asked, remembering at the time he had not paid that much attention to Romelle, being concerned about Sven.

"Fucking Viking and his damn stubbornness! Ok, so he doesn't like living at the palace with Bandor, fine we can all get that, right?" Lance declared, and then went on to explain about the house Sven picked out, no servants, Romelle helping Bandor and trying to keep house while pregnant. After the baby was born, she was exhausted because Erik had colic.

"The end result is that Romelle goes into a major funk, and tries to kill Sven, who then reacts badly because of the haggerium in him. He takes Erik, and the rest you know. It was decided that the boy would stay here with Nanny until things were sorted out." Lance finished explaining.

"My understanding is that with His Majesty getting married, he will not need to rely on Her Highness so much." Fredericks added.

"Did Sven just not realize how much stress Romelle was under?" Hunk asked, as he started dealing cards out.

"Who the hell knows? I know I owe the guy my life, but he just doesn't make it easy!" Lance declared as he sorted his cards and took a drink from his glass. He knew he should be looking forward to seeing Sven tomorrow, when he arrives, but the whole Crydor incident had really upset him.

"God, I need a drink! Damn cadet!" Keith came through the door and everyone turned in his direction. He pulled a chair up to the table, and getting a glass from the tray, poured himself a large shot of Lance's whiskey that he drank one gulp. He then poured himself another shot.

"Wow! You are cursing and drinking my whiskey! Are you feeling all right?" Lance asked, and Hunk nodded his head. Lance could hardly wait to tell Allie about this.

"I do not know whether I am too old, or too young, but I did not think I would have to try to explain the facts of life to an eighteen year old boy! He spent almost two years at New West Point before he came to Arus! How the hell did he not learn anything?" Keith almost spat the words out.

"Ah, yes, your talk with Vince. Didn't go well, huh?" Hunk asked, giving Keith a sympathetic glance. Looking at Keith now, he was glad that he'd gotten Keith to do it, instead of him trying to. Lance and Fredericks looked at him in puzzlement. Hunk explained about what Daniel had told him, as well as Vince's experience at the sex resort.

"Fucking please! He can't order a drink like a man? And he is really that clueless about sex?" Lance exclaimed in disbelief. Even a first year cadet knows what a man drinks.

"Personally, I think Vince really needs to be around young men his own age. He was sheltered anyway, and staying here at the Castle is not helping the situation." Hunk stated, remembering his earlier thought.

"You know, back when we first found out about Daniel, Pidge suggested transferring them to the Arusian Military Academy. I thought it was a good idea, but Allura shot it down, and will shoot it down again. She thinks the cadets are our responsibility." Keith said, as he took another gulp of his whiskey. Allura had overruled everyone on Daniel and Vince.

"Maybe if it was presented to her as an academic exercise she would be more receptive." Fredericks said in a smooth tone of voice. Everyone else at the table looked at him expectantly. He took a deep puff on his cigar before explaining.

"Darrell has already been gone for a week, because of his trip to New Balto. Lance, you are getting ready to leave on your honeymoon, and will be gone for a month. When you return, Her Ladyship, Darrell, and you Hunk are going to that festival. And we still have the issue of Darrell's honeymoon with Her Ladyship." Fredericks told them, as he discarded two cards.

"What are you getting at Fredericks, and how would it solve Vince's issue?" Lance asked, looking at his cards and wishing they were better.

"Those boys are going to get behind in their classes with the travel you all will be doing. If they were at our Academy they could stay current. Also, I am on the Board of Supervisors, as well as have many friends who have grandsons and great-grandsons at the school. I know who all the wild boys are, as well as the well behaved ones. We split Vince and Daniel up, and Vince can spend time with some worldlier roommates." Fredericks finished his explanation as he stubbed out his cigar.

"I like it, Fredericks! Allura certainly can't argue with the explanation that they need to stay current on their course work." Keith said, and he looked at Lance as he said it.

"Don't worry; I think Allura will go along with it." Lance said with a smile, thinking of how he could persuade Allie if she didn't agree at first.

"Shall we drink to it?" Hunk asked, raising his glass. They all toasted the idea, and then got back to their card game. Even Keith played, smoking a cigar, and winning a couple of hands.

It was the next day when Sven entered Arusian airspace in the old cruiser that he had fled Pollux in several months ago. His brother-in-law had not asked for it back yet. He was looking forward to seeing his son, but nervous about seeing his wife. It would be the first time he spoke to her since he had taken Erik and fled. He was very concerned about the reception he was going to get when he landed.

Allie and Lance got to the VIP waiting room of the spaceport first, and they were the only ones there. Lance took the opportunity to put his arms around her and kiss her. He had already done that when he met her in the main hall, but then Coran had come up.

"Mmm, you do feel good, Allie! And thank you for wearing red." Lance whispered in her ear as he ran his hands down her back to her rear end. Allie giggled, and snuggled close to him, enjoying how handsome and dashing he looked in his leather jacket. She'd had her dress made in the same shade of red as the ribbon his gold lion badge hung from.

"Lance, I hope this goes all right. Bandor doesn't want any more talk than there already is." She said, as she moved her neck so Lance would have more space to kiss.

"Yea, well based on what you told me about your conservation with Romelle I think the situation is in a downward spiral. And I notice that Romelle is not here yet." Lance said as his hand moved up from Allie's waist, his fingers just barely brushing against the underside of her breasts. She felt her core getting hot and wet, and so much of her just wanted to know what his hand on her breast would feel like.

"Lance, please! Someone might come!" Allie managed to pant, even as she pressed herself closer to Lance. He felt her response, which gave him a surge of satisfaction and desire all at the same time. He loved how he could get her to forget about all royal decorum so easily. He took a deep breath, and removed his arms from her.

"Well since I don't want to be standing her with a hard on, I will stop for now!" Lance declared, giving her a wicked grin. Allie blushed bright pink when he mentioned how hard he was.

"Darling, honestly, you push you body against me, and move those wonderful hips, and hey, I'm all man!" Lance told her with a twinkle in his eye. He could hardly wait to get her on their honeymoon.

Allura was spared from responding by the rest of the team coming into the room. Keith noticed how pink Allura was, and how close Lance was standing next to her. He took a deep breath and tried to think about something else. Larmina had also noticed how pink her Aunt's face was and wanted to laugh. She exchanged a look with Pidge, who had caught it too; it would be fun to giggle about tonight.

"Thank you for sparing us from full dress uniforms, Allura! Where are Bandor and Romelle?" Hunk asked, looking around. Just then Bandor, along with Elena and her brother came into the room. They had all arrived earlier that morning, Prince Fauk being an unexpected addition. He though had stated that since Elena and Bandor were not married yet, he needed to chaperone.

Prince Fauk was an older version of his sister, with the same honey colored hair and blue eyes. He was known, behind his back, as 'Idiot' because of some of his past behavior and comments. Bandor was starting to think that Fauk was not as stupid as he let people think. He was so happy with Elena though, that putting up with Fauk was a small price to pay. At least the man was royal and understood how royalty worked.

"Where is Romelle?" Allura asked, looking around for her cousin. Lance saw her concern and put his hand on her back, lightly rubbing it. Keith worked very hard at not looking at them. Being around the couple was not bad when it was a formal event, because Lance behaved himself. However, when they were off duty the couple were very affectionate with each other.

"She is resting right now, and thought it might be better if she sees Sven alone at first." Bandor said, getting a firm line to his mouth. He had in fact not talked to his brother-in-law since the whole incident, and remembering the man's treatment of his sister, he hoped he could stay calm.

"Considering what he did, he is lucky that he is not in jail. He sounds quite unbalanced." Fauk declared, having heard the whole story from Bandor. The young Polluxian King gave him a look of approval, as that is what he had thought about doing, before the Voltron team got involved.

"Crydor is a pretty good prison if you think about it." Bandor said now, thinking that even Idiot knew a problem when there was one. He had been afraid that the mess would hurt his chances with Elena, but Fauk's prime minister had been more impressed with the girl marrying a king. The man also reasoned that every royal house had some family problem.

"We need to make Sven welcome. He is still our teammate, and it was fighting for Voltron that he got the haggerium infection." Allura declared, having gotten over her blushing, and switched on her royal role. She was starting to wonder if it would have been better if just the boys greeted Sven. Allura had suggested that, but Bandor insisted that if his sister wouldn't be there, he would. Sven was married to the Polluxian princess and a member of the royal house needed welcome him to Arus. Since Elena went everywhere with Bandor, and Fauk wouldn't let Elena out of his site, it had turned into a large welcoming committee.

Sven had been cleared for landing, and was taken aback by the large number of people waiting for him. He didn't see his wife though, and wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing. The Voltron force went first and said their hellos with big hugs. Bandor and Sven managed a stiff handshake, and then Bandor introduced his fiancée and her brother.

Bandor and Fauk were impeccable in well tailored clothes, Allura and Elena had nice dresses on, and the team wore their flight suits that were in good condition. Sven had not thought anyone would greet him, so he was dressed in the old flight suit he wore every day. He suddenly felt underdressed, and then felt angry that he was letting Bandor get to him.

Sven thought Elena nice, and pretty in a conventional way. Her brother looked like another version of Bandor, stuck up and impressed with himself. Bandor had been a big part of his problems with Romelle, and Sven still resented him. His brother-in-law and his royal ideas had interfered with their marriage, in Sven's view, while he knew that the man blamed him for his sister's problems.

When they got to the Castle, Allura took Sven up to the family floor where Romelle was staying. Erik was down the hall, in the nursery with Nanny. Allura had not been thrilled to have Nanny underfoot again, but the woman stayed busy with Erik. They'd already had a scene when she had told Nanny that she was marrying Lance, and Allura didn't want another one.

"Allura, wait! Before I go see Romelle tell me how she is? Has she said anything about me?" Sven had gone from feeling overwhelmed and underdressed at the spaceport, to being so nervous he thought he was going to jump out of his skin. He loved his son so much, and only wanted the best for him. He reminded himself that was why he was here.

Allura's heart sank as she looked at Sven, so tired and scared looking. He was too thin, and his clothes almost hung on him. She thought about what Romelle had said last night, and suddenly felt very sad for Sven. If he could only meet his wife halfway, and Romelle understand why he had done what he had, they might have a chance.

"Sven, she has been concentrating on Erik. She missed him so much. Romelle is feeling better now, her treatment really helped her." Allura said, not wanting to get into the middle of their marriage. In truth the only real issue had been post-partum depression made worse by exhaustion and lack of sleep. The doctors had felt that if she had been getting some rest, it would not have gotten so bad. However, Sven would not let her have any household help, or even get a babysitter.

She put those thought out of her mind, and showed Sven which door was Romelle's. Allura gave him an encouraging smile, and then left him there. Allura headed down to the second floor, trying not to think about what was happening in her cousin's room. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't see Keith coming out of the library, and bumped into him.

"Keith, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention." Allura said to him, as she stepped back. Keith smiled at her, trying not to think about how nice she had felt against him. He wondered if he would ever be over his feelings for her.

"Don't worry about it. I was just in the library doing some family research." Keith explained, holding up two books. He said that he was reading old court circulars to see if his family was mentioned at all. They had not been computerized, so he had to read the information hard copy.

"That is an excellent idea. It was smart of you to think of it." Allura told Keith, who nodded his head. He didn't tell her that it had actually been Eimear's idea, and they had discussed it at their lunch last week. Allura chatted with him for a couple more minutes, and then excused herself to attend a meeting. Keith, in thinking about the occurrence that evening, realized that when he had thought about Eimear his feelings for Allura had not seemed so strong.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note: This chapter is really long, but I wanted to wrap up this plot bunny. I have a royal ball to put on, after all!**_

_**KathDMD: Your wish is fulfilled!**_

_**Lance4Ever: I am glad you like how I am writing your boy. Yes, we all want happy endings, but they sometimes take different paths.**_

_**Romelle's Story**_

Romelle was up in her room, waiting for Sven to come looking for her. She had been following the progress of ship through the Castle communication system. She looked at herself in the mirror, and was pleased with what she saw. It was hard to think that two months ago she had been haggard, with unwashed hair, circles under her eyes, and living in her nightgown.

The blue of the dress was very becoming against her strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. Her figure looked really good, especially because her breasts were still large from nursing Erik. She remembered how she had pumped faithfully while Erik was gone. Romelle had not wanted her milk to dry up, and it was part of the reason she had refused any medicine.

The medicine was not really needed anyway the doctors found out, once she was able to get a couple of nights of good sleep. Romelle still thought about how frantic she had been when Sven had taken their son and fled Pollux. She knew that she would never be able to repay her cousin for what she had done. Allura had seen to it that Erik was properly taken care of while Romelle healed.

As she thought of that whole time, her mouth tightened into a hard line. Sven was the cause of it all, him, and his thoughtlessness. At least when they had been living at the palace she'd had some help. Sven though hated the idea of servants, and didn't get along with Bandor anymore. Romelle had been happy to go along with the idea of living somewhere else, just wanting some peace during her pregnancy.

Sven had, without consulting her, picked out a small two bedroom house that needed a lot of work done to it. He had told her that it was because of the big yard, for their child. Romelle tried to explain to him that it was going to be a long time before the yard got used, and who was going to take care of it? She tried to tell him that a baby needs decent floors to crawl on more than anything else.

Romelle was annoyed that she'd been given no say in choosing the house, and then got even more annoyed when Sven was always working in the yard, instead of doing things to get the house ready. Her aggravation really increased when she came back from helping Bandor one day, and found out that he had already furnished the living room and their bedroom.

By that point she was eight months pregnant, with swollen ankles and fingers. The doctor wanted her to rest, but Sven didn't think that fixing him dinner every night was a big deal. Bandor had finally stepped in and moved her back to the palace, until after she delivered. Sven had been furious when Bandor had accused him of not taking care of Romelle.

Sven had put his foot down that no child of his was going to be raised by a Nanny. Romelle could do nothing but stare at Erik, so she went along with him. She soon found herself feeding Erik almost every hour and a half, which would have been fine if she could have rested in between. Instead, Sven wanted to know why the house wasn't clean, the laundry wasn't done, and what was for dinner? Bandor tried to help by having her and Erik come to the palace so she could rest some, but then Sven would get upset about that, and mad at her.

Romelle realized now that coming after her haggerium infected husband with a knife had been a bad idea. She had not really meant to do it, but she'd been trying to chop some vegetables for dinner, her breasts were sore because Erik needed to be fed, and Sven wanted to know why he didn't have any clean clothes.

Everything had happened so fast, as she turned around and screamed at him. She had forgotten that she was holding the knife, as she lunged at Sven. She could still see the switch being flipped, as his eyes started to glow purple. He knocked the knife from her hand, pushed her to the ground hard, and fled with Erik.

The fall had knocked her unconscious, and when she came to it was five hours later. Romelle called Bandor, told him everything, and said she needed help. Bandor decided to take care of Romelle first, and then hunt down his brother-in-law and nephew. By the time he'd gotten Romelle to the palace, and under medical care, Allura had contacted him. Bandor was glad to go along with the recommendation for Erik, and privately hoped Sven would freeze to death on Crydor.

She understood now, because of a good psychiatrist, the part that she had played in what had happened. Instead of standing up to Sven, she had gone along because she felt indebted to him, because he had saved her life. The doctor was quick to point out that it did not mean she didn't get a say in how she lived. He also told her that in a marriage both partners should respect the other's wishes.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she rehearsed the conversation she was going to have with Sven. Her feelings mattered too, and she had already made great changes in her life. The house she had picked out was wonderful, and the foundation she established was off to a great start. Romelle felt ready to face Sven as a full partner, whether he liked it or not.

After Allura left, Sven stood outside the door for several minutes before knocking. Romelle had sent him only one note, during the whole time he was gone. She had outlined what had happened, why she had come after him with the knife, and that she had not meant to hurt him. Sven had not liked her accusation that he had not helped her out at all, which contributed to the problem.

Putting that thought out of his mind he knocked on the door, and then heard a faint 'come in'. The room was large and luxurious with a four poster bed, and over to the side a small sitting area. It was furnished with two arm chairs, a table, and a desk with a chair. Sven saw a small playpen set up, with some toys in it. The playpen was the only thing he liked, thinking the rest of the room was overdone with its maroon, beige, and gold décor.

Sven looked at his wife and couldn't believe how good she looked. Her figure was more mature, and the blue dress showed it off very nicely. Her hair was shining, her skin clear, and her eyes blue. Sven could tell she was well rested, and he saw a confidence there that he had not seen for a long time. He wondered if it was all because he had been out of her life, and the thought saddened him.

Romelle stood in the middle of the room, looking at her husband with critical eyes. He looked thin and tired, and she had a brief unkind thought that maybe he knew what she had felt like. However, she knew she couldn't dwell on the past if she was going to have a future.

"Hello Sven. Did you have a nice flight?" Romelle said in a calm voice. Sven was trying to figure out if he should hug her, but decided to wait until she made the first move.

"Yes, I did. Romelle, you are looking very well." Sven said, tentatively. "I was sorry not to see you at the spaceport, but I did get to meet Elena and Fauk. I did not know that you Brother had gotten engaged." In truth, he wasn't surprised that Bandor had not told him, and Sven wondered if he would be expected to attend the wedding; he hoped not.

"Elena is wonderful! Cousin Allura introduced them, when Bandor was visiting Erik. Fauk and his sister had come for a state visit to Arus." Romelle explained, and then walked over to sit down in one of the chairs. Sven followed, sitting in the other one.

"Where is Erik? When can I see him?" He got off the subject of Bandor, and on to what was really important.

"Erik is in the nursery, with Nanny, taking a nap. He will probably be awake in the next hour, but then I will need to feed him. Luckily my milk didn't dry up while I was apart from him." Romelle said, getting a tight look on her face. Sven heard what she said, and saw how she looked at him. He was also not pleased to hear about Nanny.

"I told you that I didn't want servants raising my son!" Sven said, trying to stay calm.

"Erik is also my son, and Nanny is not raising him. You didn't seem to care about how your son was going to be fed when you took him from me. Allura told me that the doctors had said that Erik had not eaten in almost ten hours. He spent his first day on Arus in sickbay, hooked up to an IV!" Romelle said in a cold voice, controlling the fury she was feeling. Sven saw that this was going downhill fast, and remembered that the best defense was a strong offense.

"Well if you had not come after me with a knife, none of this would have happened." Sven said in an angry voice. Romelle remembered what the doctor had told her, and she gathered her thoughts.

"Dwelling on the past events won't get us anywhere. I am a full partner in this marriage, and my wishes are important. I have made changes in my life, and am moving forward." Romelle declared to Sven. She went on to tell him about the house, her foundation, and that Erik and Nanny were coming back to Pollux with her.

"You are welcome to visit anytime, as I don't want to keep your son from you. I will keep a room reserved just for your use, so you can come as you want. And before you say anything, I have Bandor's approval for this." Romelle finished up in a collected voice. Sven looked at her in shock, not believing what she was doing with his son.

"I won't let you do this! He is my son and I have rights too!" Sven stood up, his eyes glowing purple as the haggerium raced through his veins. Romelle looked at him a lot more calmly than she felt.

"Sven, I am not denying you your rights. I have said that you are welcome at anytime to visit. You seem to have forgotten that you are very sick, and can't live anywhere besides Crydor for an extended length of time. Surely you can see that Erik and I aren't going to move to Crydor, and our son should not be raised on Arus, away from his family." Romelle laid it out neat and tidy for him.

He walked over to the window, turning his back on her, while he tried to calm down. It was thinking about Erik that helped him do that. Sven thought about what his wife had just told him, and realized that he was stuck. Bandor was going to side with Romelle, and Bandor was the King. He couldn't go to the legal system even if he wanted to. He was on the wrong end of the stick.

"Elena and Bandor are getting married in a couple of months, and I have no doubt they will have lots of kids. Erik will have his cousins to play with while he grows up. I know that Pidge is working on a cure for your infection, Sven, and I hope he will be successful." Romelle was explaining to him in a pleased tone.

"What about the house we had?" Sven asked, thinking about how wonderful the yard was. "I've done nothing with it. It needed so much work, and wasn't what I wanted anyway. It is sitting empty. And before you think about taking Erik there, you will need to do a lot of work to make the HOUSE safe and livable, by my standards." Romelle stated, emphasizing the word house.

Sven sighed, knowing that he was never going to be forgiven for choosing the house without her. He had just wanted to surprise her, and didn't think she really needed to be out looking at houses. Now, he told her that, apologizing for what he'd done. He'd had so many good intentions, and nothing had worked out right.

"Thank you for that, Sven. I didn't see that you meant well, only thought that you weren't thinking of my wishes." Romelle acknowledged her head at her husband. Sven wondered when everything had gone so wrong. He remembered all the plans he'd had for their life together when they had gotten married. Everything had been fine until peace had been declared, and Bandor crowned king.

"Sven, there is something else we need to discuss, and I hope you will understand why I am making this request." Romelle said in a slow voice, and Sven looked at her with concern.

"We need to be honest with each other. Our marriage is not in good shape right now, with everything that has gone on. I would prefer that you sleep somewhere else while we are on Arus." She said it, looking Sven in the eye. He sighed, not surprised at what she was asking. He looked around the overdone room, and decided he would not be happy sleeping up here anyway.

"Fine Romelle, I understand. However, I want to be made aware of when Erik is awake so I can spend time with him. Is that clear?" Sven stated in a defiant tone. Romelle agreed with his request, so he left the room. Before he headed downstairs he poked his head in the nursery, and saw Erik sleeping in a bassinette. Nanny gave him a fierce look, and he fled before he got into more trouble.

Keith, Hunk, Daniel, and Vince were down in the rec room watching a galaxy football match. They were eating hot dogs for lunch, with all the fixings. Lance and Pidge were upstairs, getting ready to have lunch with Bandor and company. Hunk had already declared that he thought hot dogs and football was the better deal.

"Is there any food left?" Sven came into the room, and everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Aren't you supposed to be upstairs, at lunch? Hunk asked, as he bit into a hot dog. Sven looked puzzled, and Hunk explained about the lunch in the private dining room. Sven was hurt that Romelle had not told him about it. He really didn't want to sit at the same table with Bandor, but he would have liked to have been asked.

"I am not interested in making conversation with my brother-in-law; pompous asshole!" Sven declared, not caring who heard him. He helped himself to two hot dogs, and a beer.

"Keith, is there any extra room in the pilot's quarters? I need somewhere to stay." He asked, hoping he wouldn't have to go into details in front of the two boys. Keith gave him a questioning look, and decided to talk to him later. Hunk, Vince, and Daniel all looked at the game while the conversation was going on.

"Not a problem Sven. We have the extra room that no one is using." Keith told him, and then Sven asked about the football game. It was nice to be with his old teammates again.

Dinner was a buffet meal, on the terraces leading out from the formal reception rooms. Keith looked over in the direction of the sundial garden and gritted his teeth for a moment. He then thought about everything that had happened since then, with his life. He realized how far he had come in a short time.

Keith had not known how narrow his outlook on life really was, before the Chapter House and Sir Roulf. The reason he went to the Chapter House was because of what Allura had told him. Since then though, he had started to forge closer relationships with his friends. Yes, he knew, his heart was still broken but it didn't seem as bad as it had been at first. Thinking about Eimear helped, and it was while running that morning that he'd had seen that. It came to him, that in the short time they had known each other; he had been more open and honest with her, than he had ever been with Allura in the previous eight years.

He turned away from looking at the garden, and walked over to get some food. Fauk was at the serving table also, and Keith said hello to him. Fauk had spent the afternoon with Pidge, examining the Castle defense system. Keith wanted to laugh when the man told him that he'd let Allura and Lance chaperone his sister. In Keith's mind, that was like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.

Dinner was lots of fun, with interesting conversation. Keith mingled, and talked to everyone there. He noticed two interesting things as the evening went on. He could look at Allura and Lance and not feel so hurt anymore. He analyzed it and figured out that he was more interested in wondering about Eimear, than wondering about what Allura and Lance were doing.

The other interesting thing that Keith noticed is that everyone talked to everyone else, with the exception of Sven and Romelle. At no time did Keith ever see them talk to each other, or even stand next to each other. Keith reflected on the fact that Sven had asked to sleep downstairs, and not with his wife. He decided he needed to talk to Sven privately.

It was late that night, and Keith made his way to the spare room that Sven was staying in. He had felt very bad for the guy, about the lunch issue. Keith and Hunk had in fact been invited to the lunch, but had declined. Hunk's cousin's son was playing on the earth team that was up against Hoyden IV in the semi-finals.

Hunk had explained it to Allura, when he had to decline the invitation. She had laughed knowingly, because Hoyden IV had defeated Arus to get to the semi-final round. Allura had told Hunk that if Arus had won, Larmina would not have gone to the lunch, wanting to watch her favorite team. Keith, sharing Sven's opinion of Bandor had also declined the invite, pleading the need to support Hunk's family.

Keith knocked on the door, identified himself, and was told to come in. He saw Sven sitting on a small twin bed, wearing an old, holey t-shirt and some workout shorts. The man was so thin that Keith could almost see his ribs, and he didn't care for the circles under the man's eyes. There was a faint purple tinge to his skin that Keith knew was from the advanced stages of the haggerium infection.

"Sven, what is going on? You didn't talk to your wife once during dinner. Why are you down here, and not with your wife?" Keith asked, deciding to be blunt. He remembered that Sir Roulf had taken that tactic with him very effectively. He saw Sven look at him in shock, and then watched as the bony shoulders sagged for a minute, before the Viking came out.

"I don't want to stay upstairs in some fancy room!" Sven tried to declare proudly, but Keith saw through the ruse.

"Oh, yea like this little room is so much better than a comfortable room with a view of the lake." Keith said sarcastically, sitting on the upright side chair. Sven looked at him like he was creature from somewhere else. He noticed his former teammate looking at him with total honesty, and Sven saw that he wasn't going to be able to fool his friend.

"My wife has stated that our marriage is not in good shape, and therefore she would prefer me to sleep somewhere else. She also neglected to tell me about the lunch, not that I wanted to attend it." Sven almost spat out, not sure what he was madder about.

"Sven, you took your one month old child from her, and fled Pollux. I can see why she would not be too happy with you." Keith said in level tones, as he looked at the once proud pilot.

"Oh, so you are on her side too? Trying to get in good with Allura after she dumped you for Lance?" Sven asked in nasty tone of voice. Keith took a deep breath, as he remembered Hunk telling him about his experience when Pidge had told him about Larmina. He saw that when you hurt it was easy to want to make someone else hurt also.

"Sven, I am not going to lie to you about Allura. When she told me about Lance, I got so angry it scared her! I hated her and my best friend too! It was the lowest point in my life." Keith told him, surprised that he could talk about it so clearly now. Sven looked at him in shock, amazed that Keith would admit that. He then thought of his annoyance, and got back to that.

"My wife has completely rearranged my son's life without consulting me! She is taking him and Nanny back to Pollux, to move into a house I've never seen." Sven raged, as his eyes glowed purple. Keith sighed, wondering whether he was really up for this. Looking at the infection ravaged man; he made a vow to get Pidge working on a cure, so this would not be Daniel's fate.

"I don't think you should bring the house issue into this, Sven. I have heard what was happening on Pollux, before you took Erik." Keith said, hoping he could get Sven to understand what Romelle was so mad about.

"Fuck det hele! I get to hear about the house again! I try to do something to help my wife, and I get dumped on. Excuse me for not wanting to spend money on some big fancy house with a bunch of servants. I grew up in a house like the one I picked out, and it was perfect." Sven said with fury.

Keith didn't know Norwegian, but was sure that the words had been cursing. He also had to hide a smile at Sven's reference to money. The Viking had been known since the Academy for being tight with money. It had been the butt of many jokes, and he remembered Lance calling him a cheap bastard on more than one occasion. Keith put the old memories out of his mind, and got back to the present.

"Sven, that might of have been your childhood experience, but it wasn't Romelle's. Why would you think she would not want to be consulted about where she was going to live?" Keith asked, really wanting to understand what his friend was thinking. He was also thinking of Sir Roulf talking about making assumptions about people.

"I learned the hard way that making assumptions about people is unfair to them, and also to you. It shuts you off from life." Keith said, hoping Sven was listening.

"This is all Bandor's fault! Everything was fine until he was crowned king, and got all those fancy ideas." Sven said, grinding his teeth as he thought about his brother-in-law. He told Keith about how Bandor had undermined him with Romelle, and finally made her move to the palace the last month she was pregnant.

"Sven, I will agree that the man is pompous and full of himself. However, hearing what you just said now, all it sounds like is a brother who was very concerned about his sister." Keith did not like how he was taking no responsibility for what had gone on. He could see how Sven's attitude would grate on Bandor.

"It comes back to it is my entire fault, because I won't do what my wife and brother-in-law want. Not that it matters, since he holds all the cards. I can't stop Romelle from taking Erik back to Pollux because her brother is the king!" Sven huffed, and his eyes started glowing.

"I think you need to step back and look at the situation rationally, Sven. How do you know you won't like the house? It doesn't sound like Romelle is banning you from Pollux or Erik's life, either?" Keith asked calmly. He saw that he had his friend's attention.

"Sven, you need to take this one step at a time. Give Romelle your blessing in taking Erik back to Pollux, and let her get him settled. Go visit in a month or two, and spend time with both of them. Listen to what she has to say, and don't be so quick to judge." Keith took a breath, and then went on. "Pidge and Vince are working on a cure for the haggerium infection. Did you know Daniel has it too?"

Sven looked at Keith in surprise, and shook his head. He had not known, and Keith explained how it had happened. The man on the bed got a sad look on his face.

"Keith, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy! Daniel is young; he should have his whole life ahead of him." Sven declared, thinking about something else besides his misery and anger. He sighed deeply.

"Your advice is that I let Romelle and Bandor have their way?" Sven got back to his immediate concern.

"Look at yourself in the mirror Sven, you are in awful shape! You need to concentrate on getting your strength back. Spend your time here resting and eating well." Keith told his friend.

"But what about Romelle? She wants nothing to do with me!" Sven pleaded with despair. Keith really wanted to slap his friend up the side of his head. He was lucky he wasn't in jail, and that Romelle was even willing to let him see Erik.

"Send her a note tonight, saying that you have thought about what she said, and you agree that Erik going back to Pollux is a good idea. State that you want to see him as much as possible while you are here, and that you would like to talk to her about what she has been doing. Simple, straightforward, and no blaming!" Keith advised his friend.

"What good will that do?" Sven demanded of Keith, who felt very tired of this.

"It will show that you are respecting who she is, and what she wants. It will also defuse the tension between you two, which should help your relationship. This is not the final decision for you and your family, unless you make it that by your behavior." Keith explained it to his friend. He saw that Sven was thinking about that, and got up to leave, saying good night.

"Keith?" Sven had been staring at the floor, and he looked up as he called his name. "Listen Keith, I'm sorry for that cheap shot, about Allura dumping you for Lance. It was unfair of me." Sven said in a low voice.

"Don't worry about it Sven, I understood where it was coming from. Send the note, get some sleep, and eat a good breakfast, ok?" Keith told him, and then left the room. As he went to his own quarters, he hoped that he'd been able to help Sven.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note: The royal ball took me longer than I thought it would. The couples did not care for how I had written it, feeling it shortchanged their stories. I have rewritten it to reflect their points of view, as well as the happenings at the ball. I am posting three chapters today, which represent the ball's prelude for each of the couples. The chapter with the ball happenings will be posted, I hope, mid-week.**_

_**Between you and me, reader, I think each lady wanted a chapter with just their dress in it. This is Eimear's chapter, and her dress reflects her personality. She is very elegant, cool, not a ruffles type of girl. The inspiration for her dress is the one Grace Kelly wore in 1955 to accept her Oscar for 'The Country Girl'.**_

_**The Royal Ball – Prelude One**_

Keith arrived at Eimear's townhouse at the time they had agreed on, in his formal dress uniform. He thought about the irony that the first time Eimear had seen him in it was at the memorial service for her late husband. He hoped that tonight would be a lot happier for her. He got out of the hover town car he had rented for the evening, and told the driver to wait. Keith had thought about a limousine, and then found out they were all rented out.

A man in a suit answered the door, and showed Keith into an elaborate but narrow front hall. The floor was black and white marble tile, while the staircase was done in white wood and black wrought iron. The man introduced himself as Phillips, the house manager, but Keith was reminded of Higgins, the butler at the Castle. He decided that he would have to ask Firth about the difference between a butler and a house manager.

"Do you really fly Black Lion? And are commander of the Voltron Force?" A high, young voice asked. Keith turned to see a young boy with blond hair and green eyes standing in the hall. He was in his pajamas, but had his feet apart with his hands on his hips. Keith smiled, figuring out who the boy was. He had his mother's hair, and he could see some of her in the boy's face too.

"Yes Your Grace, I am. Commander Keith Kogane." He said very seriously as he inclined his head. He wasn't sure what the protocol was for ten year old dukes, but decided to take no chances.

"Is that your Lion badge around your neck? Can I touch it?" The young boy asked his eyes wide. Keith smiled and said yes, bending down as he did so.

"Wow! It is so heavy! Neat! And you're really taking my Mum to the royal ball?" The young man was wide eyed, thinking of what his classmates would think of his story.

"I had planned on it, Your Grace, but I guess I should have consulted with you first. Is that all right?" Keith asked cautiously. He had never been out with a woman who had a child before, let alone one with a title.

"Oh, I think it is awesome! All my friends are going to be so jealous that I actually met you. Also, between us men, my Mum needs to get out more. She spends way too much time fussing about me, and the window treatments!" The boy sighed, giving Keith a knowing look. He smiled, remembering the conversations he and Eimear had had about her son.

"I'll give you some advice, man to man, Your Grace; women like the house to look nice and be comfortable. They are very concerned about that kind of thing." Keith told him, nodding his head. At that thought Sven and Romelle popped into his mind, but he pushed them out.

"I don't always mind, my Mum is awesome! When I finish school early she makes me these wonderful tomato, bacon, and cheese sandwiches. The cook here gets really annoyed when she does that, but back at home it didn't matter." The boy said with sigh.

"Do you miss not being in the country, Your Grace?" Keith asked, sure that everything had been a big adjustment for him.

"Sometimes I do, but I have lots of friends now to do stuff with. Speaking of friends, I met one of yours." The duke finished up proudly. Keith looked at him and asked him about that.

"The other day, Her Majesty and Commander McClain came to by school, for a military review. Her Majesty talked about flying Blue Lion, and forming Voltron to defeat the Drules. Commander McClain didn't give a formal speech, but we got to talk to him in groups, and he mentioned how incredible you are! He said that you are his best friend; is that true?" The boy said rapidly, amazed that he had already had so much one on one time with the Black Lion pilot.

"Yes, Commander McClain is my best friend! We met the first day at New West Point, and have been together ever since." Keith told the child very sincerely. He was touched that Lance had told the boys about him.

"Was Her Majesty a really good pilot? Some of the older boys said that she looked really hot, but I didn't know what that meant?" The young duke asked, hoping that the man in front of him could explain it. He knew that his friends who had fathers had access to all kinds of information that he didn't.

"Her Majesty was a top notch pilot. She knew her Kingdom needed her, and she worked really hard to be able to defeat the Drule Empire. Oh, and just so you know, when someone says a woman is hot, they mean she is very pretty, and very nice." Keith told the young man, recognizing the hunger in his eyes.

"I see, that explains it. No one really tells me anything around here!" The boy declared, and then furrowed his brows in thought.

"Do you think it is good that Commander McClain is going to marry Her Majesty?" The duke asked, thinking of some of the things he had heard from his schoolmates.

"Your Grace, I am going to tell you something that I have not told anyone else, ok?" Keith smiled at the young boy, and then he continued. "Her Majesty and Commander McClain are my two closest friends in the world, and I am glad that they are getting married. They will be so happy together." As he said it, he realized how true it was, and he felt his heart getting very light all of a sudden.

"Aiden, aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Keith heard Eimear's voice from the top of the stairs and he looked up, almost gasping when he saw her. She had a pale pink satin gown on that clung tightly to her body, and then swept back into a small train. The bodice stopped just above her breasts, and was held up by thin straps in the same pink silk. Her figure was amazing, Keith realized, and the pale pink was perfect with her alabaster skin, and pale blond hair.

Eimear had a necklace of pink pearls and intricate gold work that glowed against her pale skin as it circled her collarbone. It highlighted her swan like neck, and was complemented by matching earrings and a bracelet. Her pale gold hair was pulled back in an elegant twist, and offset by a tiara of the same pink pearls and gold work. The whole effect was of a warm pink glow against the paleness of her skin and hair, while highlighting her grey-blue eyes.

Keith had thought she was like a black swan at the Chapter House, but now she reminded him of a white one. As she came down the stairs, he was given a better chance to examine her full, curvy figure. The black dresses he had seen her in before had concealed a great deal. In his wildest dreams he had never imagined himself with a woman like this.

"Commander Kogane, would my Mum be considered hot?" Aiden asked his idol, who smiled at him, and then looked at Eimear.

"Yes Your Grace, your Mother would be considered hot." Keith said in a conspiratorial voice, and added "She is very beautiful." He saw her smile him, and he noticed that her eyes looked happy. Just then an older woman came into the hall, looking for Aiden.

"I'm sorry Your Ladyship; he was supposed to be bed reading." The woman explained, as she walked over to the boy.

"I think he wanted to make sure his Mother was being properly escorted for the evening, right Your Grace?" Keith said, looking at the boy, and then added. "Listen, if it is all right with your Mother you can come by the Castle one day, and I will show you Black Lion." The boy's eyes got very round, and then he looked at his mother.

"That is very nice of the Commander to offer, and I will talk to him about a good day to do it. You can't miss school you know." Eimear said, as she gave her son a hug. Keith could see how much she loved the boy, and he liked the fact that she didn't care if her dress got wrinkled from him hugging her back. They said their goodbyes, and Keith escorted her out to the car.

"Thank you for coming with me Eimear, you look beautiful!" Keith told her sincerely, privately looking forward to Lance seeing her. He had been pumping Keith for information on his date, but Keith had not revealed anything. He had found it rather fun to thwart Lance for once.

"Keith, I am very flattered that you asked, and you look very handsome too." Eimear smiled and then got serious. "I overheard the conversation you and Aiden had, by the way. Thank you for talking to him like you did, man to man. He appreciated it, I know, but you can call him by his name."

"He is very smart, and doesn't miss anything I bet. Until he gives me permission to use his name though, I won't. I don't want to get in trouble with him." Keith told her, laughing. He watched Eimear get very serious and slowly smooth the satin of her skirt with one of her hands. He remembered her doing the same motion the first time they talked at the Chapter House.

"I didn't mean to listen, you understand. I was all set to come down, and then when I heard Aiden I knew he would enjoy the time with you. Can I ask you about something you said?" Eimear said, minutely examining the fabric of her dress. Keith tilted his head, wondering what was coming.

"Eimear, you may ask me anything you like. I would think you would know that by now." He told her, and then held his breath.

"Keith, did you really mean the comment you made, about being happy about Her Majesty getting married?" Eimear asked slowly, still looking at her skirt as her hand smoothed out imaginary wrinkles. He could see her furrowed brow, and knew that this was important to her. He reached over and put one of his hands over the one smoothing the fabric.

"Yes, Eimear I did mean it. My time at the Chapter House, along with Sir Roulf, really opened my eyes to so many things. I won't lie to you, I did love Allura, but it wasn't the real Allura that I loved. Our relationship was based on her being the lovely princess, while I was the knight who saved her castle. The first honest conversation we had was when she told me about Lance, and I handled it badly because I wasn't seeing who she really was." Keith told her, squeezing her hand as he did so. Eimear had stopped smoothing the fabric of her dress, and let her hand rest in his.

"In the short time I've known you I have been more open and honest with you than I ever was with Allura. I want to continue that, and I would like to get to know you better. I admire you a great deal, and will always respect the relationship you had with your late husband." Keith finished up, hoping that he hadn't pushed too fast.

"Oh Keith, I'd like to get to know you better too. If that is going to happen though, I need to be honest with you about my relationship with Percy." Eimear said to him with a sigh. He gave her a sympathetic smile, and indicated for her to go on.

"I was sixteen when I married Percy, and we spent a total of five weeks together the entire year we were married." She said slowly, and as she looked up her could see pain in her eyes. "War had been going on for several years, with no end it sight, so it was decided that court functions would stop. I was presented at the last debutante court, two years earlier than what I should have been. Percy and my brother had been roommates the Academy, and he was getting pressure to marry. His older brother had been paralyzed by then, so it was up to Percy to produce an heir."

"Was it an arranged marriage?" Keith asked, knowing that it was common on Arus. She shook her head, and explained how she and Percy liked each other, and married within a month of their first meeting. They had a two week honeymoon, before Percy went back to his squadron. Less than a year later he came home for a three week leave.

"Keith, it was like seeing a stranger! It was weird and uncomfortable being together. We didn't have any privacy, because all the family was there. I think he was almost glad to get back to fighting, quite frankly." Eimear said in a sad voice, and Keith felt bad for her. He was trying to imagine her as a seventeen year old girl, coping with all that.

"He was killed two months after that, and then I found out I was pregnant. Percy never even knew that he was going to be a father." She finished the story and looked sad. Keith was still holding her hand and he liked how warm and soft it felt.

"Eimear, thank you for telling me that, because you didn't have to. I think you are very brave, and I know that Percy would be very happy with how you are raising Aiden." Keith told, squeezing her hand again. He decided that she needed fun and laughter in her life, and it would start tonight.

"Keith, I wanted to, so you would understand what my relationship with Percy was. I want us to be honest with each other." Eimear said seriously. Keith brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it lightly. He liked watching her smile, and told her that.

"I am planning on making you smile a great deal tonight Eimear." He added, and started telling her funny stories about some of the people she would meet tonight.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note: This is Allura's chapter, and as the bride the inspiration for her dress was something white. However, I thought she would want to 'sex' it up some for Lance, but she is still young and innocent. The dress I chose is by Suzanne Perron, a dressmaker from New Orleans. She is known for her beautiful bridal and debutante gowns. The dress our Princess wears can be seen under the 'gowns' tab on the dressmaker's home page. That will bring up a gallery of thumbnail pictures, and if you click on the first one in the third row, you will see the dress.**_

_**The back story to Larmina's dressmaker can be found in chapters 8 and 9 of 'All the Right Moves'.**_

_**There is a scene in this chapter that I am going to get flak about. However, the story is rated 'M', they are adults, and it is still legal to do. Plus, it helps my plot line.**_

_**The Royal Ball – Prelude Two**_

Lance was in Allie's room, already dressed for the evening in his formal uniform. He was sitting in a chair; studying some notes that Coran had drawn up about who was going to be at the ball. The chair normally faced the lake, but he had turned it so he could see her dressing table.

Allie was in the shower, and he was having a hard time concentrating on the notes as he thought about her naked with the water on her. Lance was imaging being in there with her, soaping her body. He looked up when she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white cloth robe. It clung to her still damp body, and Lance looked at her very intently.

"You are looking at me like you are hoping the robe will fall off, Lance." Allie said giggling, as she tossed her head. Her gold hair was damp, and curly from just being washed. His perusal of her body was intoxicating, like drinking champagne.

"Darling, that would make my night! However, I am going to be patient since is our wedding is only two days away." Lance smirked at her, and she felt her heart start to race as his eyes moved over her body.

"Your Majesty, I have your dress. Oh, hello Commander McClain." Dorcas had come into the bedroom, carrying a long bag on a hanger. She stopped when she saw Lance in the chair with his legs stretched out, looking very comfortable.

"Dorcas, thank you for knocking." Lance said with a grin, and Dorcas shot him a steely look.

"Commander, I told you that when you are married I will knock, and until then you shouldn't be up here. And, thank you for rearranging the furniture." Really, thought Dorcas, the man wouldn't give up and nothing fazed him either. She could terrorize any footman, and even Higgins was careful around her, but the Commander was made of sterner stuff.

"I am here to watch Her Majesty get into her dress! Since I won't be able to take it off of her later, I want to see her put it on." Lance leered at Allie as he said it, who blushed bright pink. The original plan had been for them to meet up before the ball, in her study, to go over the Coran's notes. Lance had decided his idea was better though. Dorcas shook her head at the audacity of the man.

"Well since you aren't taking me on your honeymoon, I'm sure you will get to take her dresses off a lot!" Dorcas told him, pretending to be put out. In truth she was pretty sure that the couple wouldn't get out of the bedroom that much. That thought reminded her about the chat she needed to have with her lady, before the wedding.

"Would you two stop talking like I am not here?" Allie declared, beet red by now. Lance threw back his head and laughed, thinking that Dorcas so had his number. She put the dress on the bed, and told the queen to sit down to get her hair done.

Allie and Lance talked about the guests and the ball, while Dorcas did her hair, putting it up and haloing it around her face. The maid anchored the diamond lion's paw tiara, so named because the clusters of diamonds were supposed to be the paws of a lion. Allura had matching earrings and bracelets to wear, but she and Dorcas were debating the necklace that went with the set.

"Your Majesty's neck will be too bare if you don't have something. Please remember that your dress is strapless. I can hardly wait to see Her Ladyship's reaction when she sees it. After that lecture you gave her about her birthday dress, and all." Dorcas said in an annoyed tone.

Lance had insisted that Allura get her dress from woman who had made Larmina's birthday dress, and not the court dressmaker. Dorcas had put up with a lot of grief from the court dressmaker because of that decision, who felt slighted that Her Majesty was not using her. The woman had not been able to complain to the queen, but her maid had been fair game.

"The dress will be lovely, Dorcas, and I don't think Her Majesty needs anything around her neck. Her skin is beautiful." Lance said, meeting Allie's eyes in the mirror. She gave him a grateful look for siding with her. She had been amazed at the dress that had been made for her. Lance was going to love it, but she knew that if it wasn't for him she would never have worn anything like it.

"Commander, you need to leave now so Her Majesty can put on her underwear and the dress." Dorcas told him in a firm tone, but Lance decided to see how far he could push her.

"Dorcas, I am here so I can see what Her Majesty is wearing under the dress. I am always fascinated by a woman's undergarments." Lance explained, as he crossed his legs while grinning. Allie had turned around and was looking at him in shock. She then noticed that his eyes were twinkling, and she figured out what was going on. She still blushed though, thinking about Lance seeing her in her underwear.

"No Commander, you will have just to guess." Dorcas told him, hoping that he would be a gentleman. Lance was all set to tease Dorcas some more, liking the response he got from the woman. Seeing Allie sitting there, pink faced, made him decide to stop it.

"Oh fine, Dorcas. I'll go stand out on the balcony and have a cigarette. You can let me know when Her Majesty is appropriately dressed." He stood up as he said it, and took a flat enameled case out of his jacket pocket, along with his gold lighter. Allie caught site of the case, realizing that she hadn't seen it before.

"Lance, is that new?" She asked and he passed it to her. The frame was gold, and against a white enameled background was a colored inset of a fox rampant over a green three pronged leaf. The workmanship was exquisite.

"Yes, I found it in this antique store in Frauxin, you remember, when we went to see the artisan bakery plant? My other case broke." Lance told her, and she nodded her head. While Allie had been in meetings Lance had explored the shops in the old town. He watched as she opened it up carefully. She caught the aroma of the tobacco, and then noticed some engraving inside. The one side was only half full, and she tried to read what it said, but didn't recognizing the language.

"I think this was made by Jean Piel Clouthier. He was known for his beautiful enamel work on cases and frames. My Father had a cigarette case like this. I wish I could read what the engraving says, but I don't know the language. It is a lovely case though." Allie said, as she closed it and passed it back him.

"I liked it because of the design; I have always been partial to foxes." Lance smiled as he said it looking at her, and Allie felt her body respond to how close he was standing next to her.

"Commander, I need to get Her Majesty into her dress, so please." Dorcas said, indicating the balcony door. Lance nodded his head and her and turned in that direction.

"There is an ash tray on the table, Lance. At least you won't have to worry about Daniel and Vince." Allie told him, giving him a wink. After years of not smoking Lance had started again, during the years of working with Wade. The pressure of putting up a false front, and helping Pidge help Keith had been very stressful.

Since he'd been back on Arus he was down to one or two cigarettes a day. He didn't want Daniel and Vince to know he smoked, so he was very careful. Larmina knew that he did, but she adored Lance and even before the haggerium issues came up she was careful with the boys about personal information.

Allie knew she should be bothered by it, but had always understood that Lance bore the brunt of the stress during the five years that the lions were in exile. If smoking helped him cope with it, so be it. She remembered her Father smoking, especially when the war news was bad. Lance was always polite about it, never smoked in public, and always had breath mints with him.

Now that he and Allie were back together, if he wanted a cigarette while he was with her, he would go out to one of the balconies outside of her study, or the private dining room. She'd made sure that there was an ash tray available for him to use. She would keep him company, liking the way the scent of the tobacco mixed with the leather scent of his jacket.

"Your Majesty, you do know that I like Commander McClain a great deal, right? He is a good man and I'm happy that you are marrying him. We just like to kid around." Dorcas told her, after the balcony door shut. Allura gave Dorcas a hug, and said that she knew that. Lance and Dorcas had been doing the game for years. Dorcas took the dress out of the bag and held it up.

"Dorcas, just so you know Her Ladyship has already seen the dress. She was delighted that I was wearing something like it." Allura told Dorcas, thinking about her maid's earlier remark. Larmina had actually used the word sexy with her Aunt, which had made them both giggle.

The dress had built in boning so she didn't need a bra, and her panties were bikini cut in white silk woven with a floral pattern. The double sided tape she needed at her sides made her laugh, as she thought about what Lance had told her at Larmina's birthday party. Dorcas helped her into the dress, positioned the bodice, and then did the invisible fasteners at the back.

The dress was of white silk, and the bodice was strapless gathered into a 'V' in the front and decorated with a rose made out of the white silk. It fit through the waist, and then flowed into a full skirt that ended at the floor. All around the bottom of the skirt were various size roses made of the silk, and echoing the one at the bust. The fabric had a soft sheen to it, and the flowers looked like they materialized out of the dress.

"Your Majesty, you look beautiful! Just like a bride, with all that white silk." Dorcas declared, and then added "I am glad that you went strapless, as it makes the dress more sophisticated. Her Ladyship's dressmaker is an artist." Allura smiled at her maid, and then looked at herself in the mirror, amazed at what she saw.

"Do you need anything else? Would you like me to get Commander McClain?" Dorcas asked, but Allura shook her head. She wanted to surprise Lance, and she wanted it to be a private moment when she did. The older woman understood, and excused herself as she left the room.

Allie walked over to the balcony doors, liking the way the silk swished as she walked. She made it a point to be very quiet as she opened the doors, and saw that Lance had his back to her. As she paused he turned back around to face the table, taking a last drag of his cigarette, before he stubbed it out in the cut crystal ashtray on the table.

Lance looked up and saw Allie standing there as he exhaled a stream of smoke. He got a big grin on his face as he looked at her, and the creamy expanse of skin above the sheen of the white silk. The rays of the setting sun caught the diamonds in her tiara and earrings, making rainbow refractions dance around her.

"Allie, this is more than I have ever dreamed of!" Lance exclaimed, looking at her all white and gold. She looked at him, loving how he was looking at her. When the dressmaker had shown her the dress, with its strapless bodice she had been horrified at the thought of wearing anything that revealing. However, Larmina had insisted that the dressmaker was to be trusted. Since Lance had asked her to get the dress from the woman, she had taken the leap of faith.

"I guess it meets with your approval?" Allie asked in a teasing voice, as he moved over to where Lance was standing. She put her arms around his neck, and moved her body against his, enjoying the reaction she got. Lance groaned as he put his arms around her waist, and then started moving his hands up and down.

Allie looked up at him, and he pulled her closer and bent down to kiss her. His lips touched hers, and instinctively she parted hers, letting him enter her mouth. She was startled when he removed his lips, leaving her open mouth, her breath coming way to fast.

"Honey, I'm sorry! Let me get a mint" Lance declared, remembering that he had just finished smoking. Allie looked up at him, the tall, handsome, and incredibly brave man who had defended Voltron and her Kingdom. He had always supported her, and been there when she needed him no matter what, never once asking for anything in return.

"Lance, it's all right!" She declared, putting her finger against his lips to quiet him. "Your fine." Allie told him, and put her lips against his, as her tongue plunged into his mouth. His breath was warm and smoky, and it reminded her of when she had flown Red Lion. The warmth washed over her, and she wanted to get as much of it as possible.

He felt her tongue duel with his, as the silk of her dress whispered against his dress uniform as she moved her body in time with his. Lance's hands moved slowly over the silk, feeling her curves underneath. They went on like that for quite a while, and then Lance realized that if he didn't stop now, they weren't going to get to the ball. He pulled back, hurting all the time.

"I think it is very good that our wedding is only two days away, because I am at the end of my tether." Lance declared, panting very hard. Allie looked up at him, so handsome in his dress uniform with his eyes filled with passion. She was so ready to be his, and have him with her every night, that suddenly the ball did not seem that important.

"Allie, let's get downstairs before I forget what few good intentions I have!" Lance declared stepping back from her. She looked at him, with love and lust, and was glad that she had taken her Father's advice, to trust her heart.

"Oh, fine Lance, but please remember I am not marrying you for your good intentions!" Allie looked him directly in the eye, as she gave him a saucy smile. Lance groaned, but looked pleased; being very happy that he finally had her and her love.

"Hey, can you put these in your bag? I just discovered I have a hole in my jacket pocket." Lance asked as they walked back into the bedroom, handing her his cigarette case and lighter. Allie had picked up her small, white satin bag, and was about to put her wrist through the loops at the top.

"Not a problem Lance." Allie told him as she took them and opened up the drawstrings to put them in the bag. They then headed out of the room, and down to the ball.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's Note: This is Larmina's chapter and her dress is the one worn by 'Girls Aloud' singer Kimberly Walsh, to the London Olympic Gala Concert back in May 2012. The dress was designed by Georges Chakra, a Lebanese fashion designer who has dressed many well known entertainment personalities. His dresses are elegant, but fearless too; not for the faint of heart. Larmina is not afraid to make a statement, she is royalty, but she is marrying DJ Prong. The dress reflects both a flashiness and femininity that is her personality. I have changed the color though, since Allura was already wearing white.**_

_**Warning: Major lemon alert.**_

_**The Royal Ball – Prelude Three**_

Pidge came into the rec room in his formal dress uniform, and was surprised to see Daniel and Vince sitting in the chairs, playing a game. They were in the dress uniform of New West Point, and Pidge smiled when he thought about when he had worn that same uniform.

"Why aren't you upstairs with Larmina?" Daniel asked, both out of curiosity and to annoy Vince. He felt Vince tense up, and worked hard to hide his satisfied smile.

"Larmina wants to surprise me, so until she summons me I need to wait!" Pidge told Daniel in a knowing voice. He and Daniel had had a rocky relationship until the day that the cadet had called him out on his behavior towards Vince, and Hunk, his best friend. Pidge had come to see the good that was in Daniel, and he hoped that he could cure the young man. He also appreciated that the young man was very street wise.

Pidge looked over at Vince, and wondered why he was looking so squeamish. He was rather puzzled at Vince's behavior lately, as he had made every effort to include the cadet in his research about haggerium. Keith and Lance had told him about the decision to send the cadets to the Arusian Military Academy after Allura's wedding, and he had agreed wholeheartedly. He privately wanted to laugh because he had suggested that when the whole story had come out.

Vince was in total misery, as he looked at Pidge in his dress uniform talking about Larmina wanting to surprise him. Vince was attracted to Larmina, and thought about her naked, which excited him greatly. He then got shocked that he was having those feelings about someone like Larmina, all royal, perfect, and hot. It didn't help that he had seen Pidge and Larmina together in the hot springs, going at it very hard and wild.

"I bet her dress will incredible! She looked awesome at her birthday party!" Daniel declared with great enthusiasm, enjoying the waves of misery coming from Vince. He had put up with way too much of Vince's fantasies and trauma about his fantasies, not to want to get even. He felt Vince in his brain thinking '_oh god, would you stop!'_ and Daniel saw Vince thinking about taking the turquoise dress off of Larmina.

"Yes, she did!" Pidge grinned, thinking about that night. He remembered how Larmina and DJ Prong had cuddled up on the stage, and how annoyed Allura was the next day at their behavior. They had already been going out, but no one else knew at the time. Now he wanted to laugh whenever he saw Allura and Lance together, off duty. Their displays of affection were not quite to the point of 'get a room' but definitely so much more than what Larmina and DJ Prong had done.

Pidge looked at the boys and asked "Aren't you supposed to be escorting Admiral Hutchinson's daughters?" The Admiral was the commander of the GA forces on Arus, and had twin daughters who were very pretty. He was very concerned about who they spent time with, and had been thrilled when Lance had offered the cadets as escorts.

"We are to meet them upstairs in half an hour. They are great girls, fun and wild!" Daniel declared, and Pidge looked at him for clarification. He knew the Admiral and his wife, and the few times he had seen the girls they had looked demure and proper. He said that to Daniel, who laughed.

"We went over there a couple of days ago, you know to hang out? Anyway their parents were gone, but their older brother was there to supposedly chaperone us. What a joke!" Daniel said, chuckling at the memory. Vince got a tight look on his face and thought to Daniel _'you aren't going to tell him?_'

"We should have just left, and not stayed but Daniel didn't want to go." Vince said, and Pidge looked at him oddly. Daniel laughed and slapped Vince on the back.

"Their brother is big into hydroponic gardening in this green house he has. His parents always brag about the fresh vegetables he grows and all." Daniel paused, and then continued "What they don't know is that he also grows marijuana, and spends most of the time stoned. He shared some with us; well everyone but Mr. Squarepants over there, and we had a blast. Those girls can dance, and their brother grows some powerful weed."

"Daniel, are you sure you should be telling me this?" Pidge asked, taken aback but interested at the same time. He knew all about recreational drugs from all the clubs Stereolatic at played at.

"You do know that drugs will ruin your mind!" Vince declared, giving him a furious look.

"Please, I'm already infected with haggerium! Anyway you wanted to know about the girls, but I was going to tell you anyway, because of the haggerium." Daniel said and went on to explain how once the drug entered his system, he felt the haggerium slowing down and its effect lessening.

"Hmm, let me bring up the chemical makeup of cannabis here." Pidge said as the holoscreen appeared in front of him. He did some quick movements and had the chemical information displayed.

"Well, I see how certain reactors could affect your dopamine levels, and that could interact with the haggerium. I might have to go visit our gardener and pretend to be interested in hydroponics." Pidge said excitedly. He decided not to lecture Daniel about his behavior, hoping he wasn't going to make a habit of it. He also needed Vince and Daniel to trust him, if he was going to find a cure.

"Pidge, you won't say anything to the Admiral or his wife, will you?" Vince asked, looking worried at what the man could do to his career. Pidge sighed, sometimes amazed at how someone could be so smart and so clueless at the same time.

"Vince, in what universe do you think I would have a conversation like that with the Admiral?" Pidge told him, shaking his head. Just then he got a message on his voltcom, and while the boys couldn't see what it said, Pidge's smile said it all.

"I have to go pick up my date for the evening, so I will see you at the ball!" Pidge said in a happy voice, wondering what Larmina was wearing.

"Pidge, it's great that you and Larmina are getting married. You two make a great couple! Would you mind if I danced with her once?" Daniel asked, smiling at Pidge. He did want to dance with her, but also wanted to pull Vince's chain one last time.

"Thanks! I think she'd be disappointed if you both didn't dance with her." Pidge said, and then left the room. Daniel saw everything that was going through Vince's mind and thought to him _'dude, you so need to get laid.'_

Pidge made it up to Larmina's room and knocked on the door, smiling as he did so. He slept up here almost every night, and could have just walked in. However, he knew she wanted to surprise him so he waited outside. Pidge still had to pinch himself sometimes, to make sure it was all real. Larmina was strong, soft, wild, and loving all at the same time.

The door opened and he went into the room, closing it behind him. She stepped out from in back of the door, and his mouth hung open when he saw her. The first thing he noticed was her amazing hair that was worn down and loose. She had worn it like that when they'd gone out clubbing, both at Dradin and New Balto.

Larmina usually had it braided back around the castle, during the day, but he got to see it loose every night. He liked to tease her that if she wore it loose during the day, none of the guys would get any work done. At night she would sometimes trail the soft fiery red tresses over his naked body, which would get him instantly aroused.

Instead of her coronet she wore the front part loosely pulled back with two of her diamond stars, while the four other ones were scattered through the loose, flaming locks. The six diamond stars had been the wedding gift her Father had given her Mother. They represented the constellation of Seiugis, which was seen every night in the Arusian sky. The constellation was a chariot drawn by six horses, which was thought to represent the six Dominions that made up Arus.

Pidge looked at her dress, and realized the stars had been the inspiration for the gown. The strapless bodice flowed over her hips and was composed of hundreds of silver stars. The bodice hugged her body, showing off her wonderful figure. He noticed that some of the stars at the bottom scattered over the top part of the skirt.

It was the skirt that really caught his attention, and caused him to get a big grin. Layers of bright green tulle billowed out gently around her, offsetting the tight, glittering bodice. The green was the exact color of his lion, and he couldn't believe how seductive the whole look was.

Pidge walked over to her in two giant strides and took her in his arms as he kissed her hard. His arms were around her shoulders, while his hands got lost in her hair. He felt Larmina put her arms around his waist, as she returned the kiss with equal passion. Pidge broke off the kiss to get some air, and then started lightly kissing her jaw line.

Larmina felt him move his lips and tongue slowly over to her ear, where he brushed the dangling emerald earring out of the way. He licked the spot just beneath her lobe, causing bolts of electricity to shoot down to her core. She moaned as he started licking and nipping down her neck, and her hands found their way under his jacket.

They had made love that morning, before they got up, but Pidge felt like it had been days since he'd been with her. Larmina had an effect on his body that he didn't understand, but had long since stopped resisting. Her hands moving on his back only spurred him on, as he felt his cock get even harder than it had been.

She felt herself being pushed up against the door, as Pidge went back to kissing her lips. She felt his hands move over her hips, and then tried to pull up her skirt. Larmina felt a hot wave of desire go through her, as she realized what Pidge was going to do.

"I guess you like the dress." She managed to say when Pidge stopped kissing her lips. She looked at him, his eyes glittering with lust, and she giggled.

"If you're going to fuck me it will have to be quick, so we are not late." Larmina said in a throaty voice as she moved her hands down to his belt buckle and zipper. Pidge growled as she undid his pants and pulled down his boxers.

"Mina, trust me I am so ready it will be hard and fast. I love this skirt, but it is rather large." Pidge said in a ragged voice, as she was stroking his throbbing erection.

"Actually, it lifts up very easily." She said as she lifted the skirt up, which pushed the bodice up to, giving him a lot more access. She moved so he was at the correct angle and whispered in his ear "I was hoping this was going to happen, so I didn't bother with underpants."

Pidge growled loudly, as he looked down and saw the tight auburn curls around her crotch. He found her opening with no problem and thrust hard into the hot wetness of her core. She gasped and then moaned as he filled her completely.

Larmina felt herself being shoved against the door, as he thrust in and out very hard. She welcomed him every time, spreading her legs and adjusting the angle to get him as deep as possible. It was as she felt him start to climax that she came, causing her to scream his name and cling to him as her body trembled. Larmina sighed as she felt his warmth flood her core, not caring about the wet stickiness on the inside of her thighs.

"I love you Mina! How do you make me do that?" Pidge asked afterwards, as they were sitting on the floor holding each other. The green skirt billowed around them, and he felt like he was sitting in a meadow with stars overhead.

"Pidge, I remember you telling me, after the first time we made love that our bodies have a physical bond with each other. Something to do with Baltan biology?" Larmina teased gently, perfectly content to have him hold her. He smiled tenderly at her, remembering that night on Dradin.

"It would be nice to stay here all night, but you need to show that dress off, my dear." Pidge told her, as he stood up, and then helped her up. They straightened each other's clothes, making sure they looked presentable. He watched as she fixed her hair, repining one of the stars that had fallen out.

"Darrell, I love you so much." Larmina said, as she carefully adjusted his gold lion badge hanging from the bright green ribbon. He grinned, and looked at her in that dress.

"I love you too! I just had a thought of what we could do after the ball." Pidge told her, getting a wicked grin on his face. He went on "I think we need to go out to Green's den, so he can see your dress. Then, I will take it off of you, and we can make love in him." Larmina's eyes got wide as she thought of that, and then she smiled in agreement.

When they got down to the ballroom, they saw that Allura and Lance, along with Coran were already there. Fredericks was setting up the receiving line, and was relieved to see them finally show up. Lance took one look at Larmina's glowing face and knew exactly what they had been doing.

"For heaven's sake, you are in her bed every night! You couldn't have waited until later?" Lance said in a low voice, once he'd gotten discretely away from the ladies.

"Lance, you are just jealous!" Pidge told him laughing, and Lance nodded his head in agreement. He then threw back his head and laughed loudly; causing Allura to wonder what was so funny. Larmina was pretty sure of what was going on, but just shrugged her shoulders at her Aunt, as if to say 'I don't know'. Larmina figured that if this was after her Aunt's honeymoon, she would know what was so funny.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note: We are finally at the ball! Romelle's gown is the Roberto Cavalli gown that Kylie Minogue wore at the Cannes Film Festival. I chose it because I thought the color and embellishment reflected her personality. She is not an 'in your face person' but she is not a frail flower either. Hope you enjoy the party. **_

_**Thank you for reading and reviewing.**_

_**KathDMD: Our friends from Pollux are back, and there will be some naughtiness tonight!**_

_**The Royal Ball**_

Sven stood in front of the door to the room that Romelle was staying in, taking a deep breath. He straightened his uniform and tentatively knocked on the door. He had taken Keith's advice and sent Romelle the note, agreeing to her plan. Sven had to give Keith credit; it had diffused the situation with his wife. He was able to spend a lot of time with Erik, as well as catch up on his sleep and eat fresh, healthy foods.

Keith had been keeping tabs on the situation, and had persuaded Sven to ask Romelle out to dinner, away from the Castle. Sven had been resistant at first, not understanding why they should spend money to eat, when they could for free at the Castle. Only when Keith had pointed out that his brother-in-law would not be there, did the Viking agree.

Sven had to admit the restaurant was nice, with a beautiful patio that overlooked the capitol city perfectly. He had been surprised to find that Erik couldn't come with them, but Nanny had informed him that the infant did not need to be out in a public setting. Even Sven could see the sense of that, so he had acquiesced to the arrangement.

He and Romelle actually managed to have an enjoyable evening, so when the check came he made it a point not to complain about the cost of dinner. The ball had thrown him for a loop, having only expected to attend the wedding. Keith had pointed out to him that Bandor would never forgive him if he skipped it. He had also told Sven that it would make Romelle happy.

The problem had come up when Sven went to put his Polluxian dress uniform on, and it was too big for him. Keith had made it a point to have the man try it on earlier in the day, and when he saw how it looked; he had gone looking for Firth. Sven was extremely uncomfortable with the tailor that Firth had found, not wanting to be fussed over. Only the thought of Bandor's reaction, if he didn't show up in his Polluxian uniform, made him put up with it.

Sven knocked on the door, and waited for it to be opened, holding his breath. When the door opened and he saw his wife standing there he was speechless. Her strawberry blonde hair was loosely pulled back, and then spun into ringlets that fell down her back. The ice blue chiffon dress was deeply décolleté, showing off Romelle's full breasts. He found himself thinking what it was like to caress her breasts, and the exposed cleavage.

The straps of the dress, the middle of the bodice, and the decoration at the waist were sparkling crystals in the same shade of ice blue. The Grecian style skirt fell in soft pleats to the floor and ended in a small train. She had a delicate diamond necklace around her neck, and a tiara that looked like small flowers glittering against her hair. He noticed that she was wearing the small diamond studs he had given her on their first wedding anniversary.

"Hello Sven." Romelle said her blue eyes dazzling as she smiled at him. She had been relived when Sven had not put up a fuss about her plans, and very surprised when Sven had taken her out to dinner. Romelle was hopeful that things might work out after all.

"god Kveld Romelle, du ser vakker." Sven said reverting to his native Norwegian, as his thought processes scrambled. Romelle had studied the language some when they first married and she under stood that he was telling her that she was beautiful.

"Thank you Sven. You look very distinguished." Romelle said with smile, but thinking that he was still so thin and drawn. "Would you like to say good night to Erik before we go down? I just finished feeding him, and he is in the nursery." She added as she turned to get her evening bag. The comment of the nursery made Sven tense up, not liking his son sleeping in a different room than his mother.

"He doesn't sleep here?" Sven asked, trying to sound calm, but Romelle caught the tension in his voice.

"No, he has his bassinette in the nursery, and by now he is sleeping through the night most of the time. Nanny is there if he wakes up, and I always leave a bottle of my milk in case that happens. Really, both of us sleep better that way." Romelle explained in a patient voice. Nursing an infant was hard work, and she needed her rest to be able to do it. A wave of sadness washed over her, wishing her husband understood that she needed to take care of herself, so she could take care of their child.

Sven felt his temper and the haggerium start to boil up, but he willed himself to think about Erik and his long term goals. He nodded his head, and agreed with her suggestion to go see Erik before they went downstairs. He was also not thrilled to know that they would meet up with Bandor, Elena, and Fauk to enter the ball together.

The ball had been underway for about half an hour, as the guests were announced and went through the receiving line. Hunk and his date were among the first ones, and both Pidge and Lance give the big guy an approving smile. The Honorable Anissa Langley had light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin. She wore a buttercup yellow dress of chiffon and organza, sprinkled with crystals. She was very petite and Hunk thought she looked like a fairy.

Her Father was a member of the Dominion Council for the Southern Region, and they had met at a court garden party earlier in the year. She had four brothers, and was really a tomboy who liked to play soccer more than anything else. Hunk thanked his lucky stars that he had bumped into her again earlier that month.

Larmina scored bonus points with Hunk for knowing that Anissa was a member of the Arusian Olympic team who would compete in the games later in the year. Allura looked over at her niece, looking so grown up in that dress, and receiving people so well. She had to smile when she thought about the talk they'd had, before Pidge had taken her to New Balto, about being open to things that weren't Arusian. Obviously that, and her love for Pidge had sunk in; she was a royal Arusian lady through and through.

The Polluxian party caused some interest, because of the romance between Elena and Bandor. Prince Fauk, in his white and gold uniform, military decorations, and blond hair looked like a handsome young god. There was the rumor that Prince Fauk liked handsome young men in uniforms too, which intrigued certain young officers. Romelle offered everyone an eyeful, and more than one observer wondered what the story was with her husband, who looked so ill. The gossips in the know had spread the word that the princess and her husband were de facto separated.

Admiral Hutchinson and his party came next, and Lance enjoyed seeing Daniel and Vince having to endure the eagle eye of the Admiral. The twins were very pretty, with black hair, blue eyes, red lips, and white skin. They were full figured, and the dresses they wore showed it off perfectly. Both girls had chosen red, but one had a lace back, while the other one was in a strapless dress.

Lance was not surprised that Daniel was with the twin in the strapless dress, while Pidge figured that the cadet would probably end up with both, based on his earlier observations. He thought it rather funny that the Admiral assumed he was running a tight ship on the domestic front. Pidge took notice of the brother, who looked a little red in the eyes, and didn't have a date. He made it a point to get the guy's name, so next week he could go admire his garden.

Allura was standing next to Lance, enjoying having him there to help her. He was perfect at doing soto voice comments, and he knew all the gossip. He was also very affectionate with her, stroking her back and putting his arm around her shoulders. Coran had been all set, several weeks earlier, to give him a lecture about the public display of affection, but Fredericks had shut him down. He was so thrilled that Her Majesty was not going to turn out like her brother, the late Crown Price.

"Lance, they are about to start serving dinner. Where is Keith? What if he got stood up? I already made him unhappy, and what if his date did the same?" Allie asked Lance, turning to him with a worried look. Lance happened to glance up at the top of the staircase, where the guests waited until their name was announced. He got a smile on his face when he saw who was waiting on the landing.

"Sugar, you should have made him unhappy a long time ago!" Lance declared, indicating the top of the staircase with his head. She looked up at him, and he whispered in her ear to look at the top of the staircase.

"Lady Eimear Ainsley and Commander Keith Kogane." The page announced suddenly and Allura looked up wide eyed to see Keith and a beautiful blond woman coming down the stairs. Everyone turned to look at the striking couple, coming down the stairs with perfect aplomb.

Keith had timed it so they would be one of the last couples to arrive, and he felt very proud to be escorting Eimear down the stairs. She was almost his height, and her coolness complemented his black dress uniform perfectly.

"She is so beautiful!" Allura declared, looking at the tall woman coming down the stairs. Lady Ainsley's dress was flawless, and she looked very happy to be on Keith's arms. Allura felt a huge wave of relief, glad that Keith had shown up, looking happy.

"Darling, for an ice goddess she is perfect, and just what Keith needs. However, she doesn't hold a candle to you!" Lance told his love, wanting her to know that he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the room. She smiled at him, remembering their time on the balcony, and then turned to greet Keith and his date.

Keith had enjoyed walking down the stairs with Eimear, wanting to laugh at all the attention they were getting. He went though the line, introducing Eimear to Pidge and Larmina. He was impressed with how striking Larmina looked, thinking only a bold personality could wear a dress like that. When he got to Allura and Lance, he was taken aback by how innocent but sexy she managed to look.

He watched Lance put his hand on her back as they talked, and he found it didn't bother him in the least. They were happy, in love, and Keith wished the best for them. As the couples talked, Allura realized that she and Lance had met Lady Ainsley a year earlier, at some horse races in the Eastern Dominion. Allura was aware that everyone in the room was watching them, wondering what they were saying.

Keith and Eimear finished up the conversation and went to get a drink. After they got their drinks, Eimear told him a funny story about one of the horse races that she, Allura, and Lance had been talking about. They were suddenly interrupted by Count Fredericks standing in front of them, dripping gold braid in his Court Marshall's uniform.

"Your Ladyship, how nice to see you at court. The pink pearls are lovely, and your grandmother was an incredible person." Count Fredericks said to Eimear, after having greeted Keith. Eimear gave the Count a pleased smile.

"Yes, Count Fredericks, yes she was! It is so good to see you too!" Eimear said in dulcet tones, impressing Keith with how she managed to dismiss the man so politely. He gave her an admiring glance, and moved closer to her.

"Can I ask what that was all about?" Keith had picked up an undercurrent in the conversation, and he wondered if the Count and Eimear knew each other.

"That was all about the pearls I am wearing. It is very naughty of me to flaunt them, but I couldn't resist!" Eimear said in a satisfied voice, and Keith remembered a comment that Sir Roulf had made, about Her Ladyship not forgiving her naysayers during her pregnancy. He thought again that this was a woman not to be trifled with.

"My grandmother was a close, personal friend of Her Majesty's grandfather." Eimear stopped, and looked at Keith to see if he understood what she was saying. He smiled, having no problem understanding the words close and personal.

"He gave her a lot of gifts, including the set of pink pearls that I am wearing. There was some discussion as to whether they were personal property of the king, or crown property of the state. After His Majesty died, my grandmother was asked to return the set, but she refused, citing that it was a personal gift from the king." Eimear explained, and Keith saw laughter in her eyes.

"I take it that the response did not go over well?" Keith asked, thinking that if the grandmother was anything like Eimear she wouldn't give up the pearls.

"Exactly, but the court officials did not want a scandal so they dropped the matter until my grandmother died. They tried asking for them back again, but my mother put them off and later gave me the set as a wedding gift." Eimear finished her tale and took a sip of her drink. She smiled at Keith and said "I have been told that I look exactly like my grandmother."

Keith looked at her and smiled, thinking that if it was true, Allura's grandfather had had good taste. He told her that, and was gratified to see Eimear look happy.

"A lot of people thought my grandmother was badly behaved, but the king was really lonely. My grandmother cared about him, and did things with him. His wife spent all her time in the chapel praying, according to what I've heard." Eimear said to him.

"I have been told that piety runs in the royal family." Keith said, wondering if Eimear took after her grandmother emotionally as well as in the looks department. He thought it would be nice to have someone like Eimear care about you.

It was later in the evening, after dinner, and the dancing had started. Allura and Lance had opened up the ball, and everyone thought they made a perfect couple. It was obvious they were madly in love with each other. Several people commented that the Kingdom would probably have an heir by the couple's first year anniversary.

Daniel and Vince had danced with the twins and several other young ladies too. He was dancing with Larmina now, making her laugh with the story about the twins' brother. Daniel also told her how great she looked, and that Pidge was very lucky. He knew that Vince was reading his every thought.

"Daniel, I know I asked you this once before, but I'm going to ask again. What is going on with Vince? He stares at me with this weird look on his face, and he is very standoffish with Pidge. Is he upset that we're together?" Larmina asked Daniel sincerely.

Her friendship with Daniel had broken down for a while, because of the haggerium issue, but after they talked on Dradin things had been good with them. She wanted her friendship with Vince back too. Larmina knew that Hunk had taken it hard when he'd found out about her and Pidge, but they were all friends now.

Daniel was torn about what to say, because Vince was his best friend, even with the annoying mind reading thing. At first it had been fun, knowing they could talk to each other without talking, but the lack of privacy was awful. He knew it was harder for someone like Vince, who was much more reserved emotionally.

"Larmina, when we first met you, both of us thought you were hot. We're guys, you're awesome, and you understand?" Daniel asked, hoping he could explain things to Larmina. He felt Vince mentally screaming in his brain, but Daniel shut it out.

"You really did? I actually thought you two were rather cute, and I was glad to have the company. However, I didn't want my Aunt to know that." Larmina said, giggling. It had been so much fun at first to have some companions her age. She saw Daniel get an unhappy look on his face, and she asked him about it.

"Larmina, we can't have this conversation, I'm sorry. If it was just you and I it would be one thing, but Vince is in my head, and I can't talk about him with you. You will have to work it out with him yourself. I hope you understand the position I'm in." Daniel finished up in a pained voice. Anything he would say to her about Vince would be a violation of Vince's privacy.

"I see what you are saying Daniel, and I appreciate you telling me that. Vince is very lucky to have you as a friend. I'll see if I can talk to him at some point, privately." Larmina told him, feeling very bad for what Daniel must be going through. She was relieved to see Daniel look happy again, and as he spun her around he pulled her a little closer to him. Larmina was gorgeous and hot, and Daniel was glad he was getting the chance to have her in his arms, even if it was just to dance.

Vince was standing at the edge of the floor, waiting for his partner to return. He had heard everything Daniel said and thought, and had been mortified that Daniel was going to tell Larmina about his feelings. When Daniel had decided not to, Vince knew that he owed his friend a lot. That feeling was overwhelmed with feelings of jealousy, as he watched Daniel pull Larmina closer to him. He wished he could have some kind of relationship with Larmina, without thinking about what he'd seen.

Sven had danced with Romelle, Elena, Larmina, and Allura over the course of the evening. He was now talking with Hunk and his date, drinking some punch. He would've liked something alcoholic but was afraid of how it would react with his emotions and the haggerium. He looked over at the dance floor and saw Prince Fauk lead Romelle out to dance.

For some reason Sven didn't understand, he didn't like the idea of his wife dancing with the good looking prince. He had already felt inferior when he looked at Fauk, knowing that the man looked exactly like what a prince should be. Sven felt like Fauk was always looking down his nose at him, and other than when they'd been introduced the prince had never addressed a direct comment to him.

"Sven, I don't think you need to glower like that. My understanding is that Romelle is not his type, if you get my drift." Hunk had seen how the Viking was looking at the couple, and wanted to reassure him. Hunk spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and heard all the staff gossip. Anissa giggled knowingly at his comment, and Hunk gave her a delighted smile. Sven was glad to hear that, and stopped looking at his wife and the prince. If he could have heard the conversation he would have been very unhappy.

"You are an incredibly beautiful woman, Romelle." Fauk told her smoothly, as they glided around the floor. Romelle was impressed with how well he danced, and how he seemed to know how to hold her; close but not too close. Dancing with Sven was nothing like this, as dancing was not one of her husband's talents. She thanked the prince for his compliment, and then when he replied she realized he was flirting with her.

"Fauk, I am flattered by this attention, but am rather surprised by it to." Romelle had heard all about Fauk, so she was curious as to whether he was serious or not. Fauk smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Oh, you mean about me and men, right? I was around fifteen when I decided that there was no reason to exclude fifty percent of the dating pool because of anatomy. It really opens up your options." Fauk told her candidly, with no embarrassment. Romelle had never been with someone who was so sexually assured of himself.

"I am into pleasure, Romelle, in all its forms. A man will give a man different pleasure than he would give to a woman. A woman with a woman would elicit different feelings than if she was with a man." He explained, as if he was talking about the days happenings. She was both shocked and intrigued at what he was saying, and how he was saying it. A mad feeling of freedom rushed over her body.

"Fauk, how do you know all this?" Romelle had never considered male and female relationships in this way before. He pulled her very close to him and she was surprised at how her body responded. He felt it, and moved his hands to lightly caress her back.

"Are you asking me about my experience? I have been with men and women in different combinations, and several at the same time. It is always intense, but different. Beauty and pleasure go hand in hand, and you are very beautiful." Fauk told her, still caressing her back. Romelle knew that she should shut this down, but it had been so long since anyone had touched her body. She felt a hunger sweep over her that she'd never felt before.

"When your husband came to get you this evening; oh, yes, I know that you are not sleeping in the same room. Anyway, when he came to pick you up, did he make love to you?" Fauk asked directly, and Romelle looked at him in shock. It was like the man could see right into her brain, and knew her hidden desires.

"You don't need to answer, as I already know that he didn't. I can tell if someone has had sex or not. For instance, Lady Larmina and her fiancée? They had sex before they came to the party." Fauk told her, indicating the couple. Romelle looked at the young couple, not believing what Fauk was saying. She couldn't imagine a royal lady having sex before being married. She had not had sex until she'd gotten married.

"Back to you though, my dear. If I had been your escort for the evening, and you greeted me at the door in that dress, well we would have been late to the party. Your husband must have serious problems." Fauk whispered in her ear, as his breath tickled and caused a fluttery sensation inside her. Romelle had to force her mind to think about Sven. She tried to explain things, but Fauk just smiled and shook his head.

"Romelle, you need pleasure in your life. It is too bad that we are at your cousin's castle with no privacy; otherwise we could meet up later. However, I don't think you are quite ready yet; close, mind you, but not all the way yet. I know that we will be back here in three months for Her Ladyship's wedding, but we will have the same lack of privacy issue." Fauk told her, and Romelle realized that he wanted to make love to her.

"Luckily, only a month after that you all will be coming to Odeos for my sister's wedding. I am sure you all will arrive early, so that will give us lots of time together. My palace is designed for privacy, and by then you will be ready for pleasure." Fauk told her boldly, which made her speechless. She was trying to figure out why he thought this was all going to happen.

"Fauk, I think you are." Romelle never got to finish her sentence.

"My dear, I told you that you are not quite ready yet, but by the time you come to Odeos you will be. Trust on this, I am very experienced. It will be special to give pleasure to a fellow royal, and I look forward to making you scream with delight." Fauk said with a cool smile, as they finished the dance, and he bowed to her. The look he gave her felt like she was being undressed, and as much as she wanted to be insulted, she wanted him to go on holding her.

Romelle's thought process was broken by Sven, who came up and took her arm. She managed to smile at Fauk, who smiled back with way too much knowledge. Sven led her outside, to the terrace, where tables and chairs had been set up. She watched as he tried to get comfortable in the wrought iron chair, trying not to compare him to Fauk.

"What was prince charming talking to you about?" Sven asked in a nasty voice, and then regretted the way he sounded. He had tried to remember what Hunk had told him about Fauk, but he had not cared for how his wife was looking at the prince as they danced. Romelle cringed at the tone he used. It was the same tone he would use when he would ask her why the laundry wasn't done, or dinner wasn't ready. She hated it, and how it would cause her to get upset.

Romelle thought about earlier in the evening when Sven had come to pick her up. She had been so happy with how things had been going between them, looking forward to the evening. Then he had made her so sad about his lack of understanding of why Erik was sleeping in the nursery, so she could get her rest. The thought came into her mind that Fauk would just naturally expect a baby to be in the nursery, and not in the parent's room.

"He was just telling me about Odeos, and the plans for Elena and Bandor's wedding. It sounds like it is going to be quite the celebration." Romelle took pleasure in adding that last bit, knowing Sven hated that kind of thing. She felt more alive than she'd felt in a long time, and knew that Fauk was the reason why.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you and Erik to go to the wedding." Sven declared, not wanting his son anyway near the prince. Romelle looked at him with cold fury, her eyes almost the same ice blue as her dress.

"Sven, I am a Princess of Pollux and my brother, the King is getting married. Of course I will be there for the wedding. I will bring Nanny to make sure that Erik is properly looked after. Excuse me now; I want to get back to the ball." Romelle stood up and left the table, never looking at Sven. He watched her leave, knowing that he had bungled it badly.

Keith and Allura were finishing up dancing, and when the music ended they started walking to the edge of the dance floor. Keith had known he would be expected to dance with Allura, and was pretty sure that Lance wanted to dance with Eimear so that he could find out about her. It had been interesting to dance with Allura, knowing that there was no chance for romance, or having to wonder about her feelings for him. He had liked how she had not pried about his relationship with Eimear, but had complimented the woman highly.

They were now at the edge of the floor and Keith turned to face her, all set to say something when Fredericks came up. He asked her about something, and Keith watched as she opened the bag that had been dangling from her wrist. She reached in and brought out her miniature voltcom, and checked something before answering the count's question.

Keith happened to look in her bag that was open and was shocked by what he saw in it. The flat white cigarette case had his family crest, of the fox jumping over the three pronged leaf, on it. Allura finished up with Fredericks and turned back to him. She noticed his expression and asked him what was wrong.

"Where did you get that cigarette case from Allura?" Keith tried to sound calm, but not succeeding. She looked in the bag and saw what he was talking about. He didn't like the tight look she got around her mouth, and what she said took him by surprise.

"It's Lance's, but I'm not sure what business it is of yours. Keith, I would appreciate it if you would quit harassing him about his smoking. You have been on his case ever since you returned, and it is very unfair to him, not to mention rude. Please excuse me; I need to go check something." Allura turned and walked away, leaving Keith stunned at her response. He had only wanted to know about the crest, but she had treated his question like an accusation, and he knew why.

When he had first gotten back he had been dismayed to find out that Lance was smoking again. Keith didn't care that Lance was discrete with the cadets, and had made it a point to talk to him about the issue. It had been hard the first couple of weeks when Lance was being so challenging with him, but he had said something anyway. Keith had brought it up with Lance, who told him to mind his own business.

Keith had thought the conversations had only been between him and Lance, but he saw now that Lance had told Allura about them. He knew that because of the word harassing; it wasn't a word Allura would use. Lance though had used that word on several occasions, in the phrase 'stop the fuck harassing me'. That meant that Lance was having private conversations with Allura, all the while she was sitting with him, talking about Arus.

He didn't like the fact that Lance was telling Allura stuff that he'd said to Lance in private. He had known that their friendship was going to change, but had never really thought about what that meant. Keith also saw now that he couldn't ask Lance about the case. His relationship with his friend was finally back on track, and he wanted to keep it that way. If he brought up the case issue, it would open the smoking issue too.

The last time Keith had talked to Lance about his smoking, had been just before Allura had told him that she was marrying Lance. The conversation had gone badly, and Lance had finally asked him not to bring it up anymore. Keith saw that if he spoke to Lance now, he would get defensive and angry. He would also tell Allura, who would be furious. Keith had recognized anger in her eyes, and a look that said 'don't cross that line'. He sighed sadly, feeling boxed into a corner about trying to find out about his family. Keith didn't know why, but he also disliked the fact that Lance smoked around Allura.

"Keith is everything all right? Did something happen with Her Majesty?" He became aware that Eimear was standing next to him. He looked at her, so cool and composed and felt himself relaxing some.

"Can we go outside and get some fresh air?" Keith asked her, indicating the terraces. She agreed, and they went outside and sat on a bench by some bushes, a little removed from the edge of the terrace. He told her about the cigarette case, and his family crest. Keith also told her about the issue with Lance, and how Allura had reacted to his comment.

"Keith, she loves him so of course she is going to be protective of him." Eimear said, putting her hand on his arm. She continued "I told you that I had seen them together, a year earlier, and said that he was very supportive of her. From what you are telling me, it sounds like they are very good friends, as well as being in love. Even when she was wondering about her feelings for you, she was still close friends with him."

He thought about what she was telling him, and understood the implication of it. Whatever his friendship with Lance was, Lance's friendship with Allura would be stronger. These last two weeks had been nice, having them in his life again. He didn't want to jeopardize that, but this involved his family history, and it was frustrating that an important piece might be out of reach. He was brought out of his thoughts by Eimear talking.

"I am rather jealous of them, you know? Percy and I were never friends with each other. I know some of it was that there was no time, but also looking at our relationship now, we really had nothing in common." Eimear said as she smoothed her skirt with her tapered white fingers. Keith found himself being hypnotized by the movement, and he realized that she was concerned or upset about something.

"Her Majesty reminded me that it was at the Eastern Dominion Hunt Cup races that we met. They take place right by where my estate is, and it is a big festival for the area. There are lots of parties, and it is great fun. I remember watching them together, and you could tell that they were enjoying being there. Commander McClain and Her Majesty both know a lot about horses, and they spent time with the jockeys and the owners. It didn't seem like a forced royal engagement, just two people having a good time." Eimear explained to him, and Keith saw for the first time the loneliness in the woman's eyes. He felt very bad for her.

"Eimear, I think you need to remember that Arus was at war for a long time. I know what it was like when we arrived, hoping to find Voltron. You told me yourself that you and Percy liked each other when you met. I bet if you had the time together, it would have grown into something else." Keith told, not wanting her to feel like she did.

"Thank you Keith, for that! You are truly a noble soul to say that." Eimear gave him a sweet smile, which made him feel very happy. In truth he could not imagine what it would have been like to be seventeen, widowed and pregnant while a war was going on. She had kept the estate intact, and since the war ended made it grow. Her son was a credit to her, and his linage; she had never flinched from doing her duty.

"Well, I don't know how noble I really am. I did a lot of repressible things while I was a fugitive." Keith told her, having not said it out loud before. He had hustled for money, threatened people, and had operated way below any legal system. He had never been fond of the saying 'the end justifies the means' but he had spent five years living it.

Keith told Eimear that, and was surprised when she laughed, making the comment that it was rather exciting to think that he had been the galaxy's most wanted fugitive. He was relieved that she wasn't going to be shocked at how he had lived. Keith told her some of his adventures, which impressed her. It was about half an hour later, and Keith saw the ball was winding down.

"Eimear, what should I do about the cigarette case? I want to know where it came from, but I don't want to lose Allura and Lance's friendship!" Keith asked her, hoping she might have some insight.

"I would recommend that until they get back from their honeymoon, Keith you do nothing. Right now, emotions are high with the wedding, and everyone is hypersensitive. Maybe in a social setting you could bring up the subject of the family crest, and it would trigger the answer you want." Eimear told him, and Keith could see how that would work.

"That sounds good, but they are going to be gone for a month." Keith told her, and Eimear looked at him in wonderment. After telling him that she and Percy had a two week honeymoon at the shore, she asked where they were going, and Keith told her.

"The first week they are in the mountains, at some hot springs resort. Then they will spend two weeks in Paris, and spend the last week at Lance's family's place on earth. He is from an old American family, and the estate in South Carolina has been in his family for almost five hundred years." Keith told her, and he saw longing in her eyes. It came home to him that she had never been anywhere besides Arus.

Keith found himself wondering if he could take her somewhere fun, off of the planet. He was then shocked at that thought, because she had a child to think of. Keith then remembered the Nanny who had come after Aiden, and he had talked about having friends to do stuff with too. It came to him that if he played his cards right, they could go somewhere for a weekend. Eimear's next remark surprised him, but gave him great hope to.

"It all sounds wonderful and fun, but I'm not sure how much they will really see. They will get to some great location, draw the blinds in the bedroom, and not leave it! What a waste of good travel." Eimear said with a mischievous grin, and Keith couldn't help but laugh. She had hit the nail right on the head, and had not sugar coated it.

"Eimear, you are an incredible woman and I am honored to know you. Shall we go dance one last time before I take you home? I bet Aiden is waiting up for you." Keith told her with a happy smile. He stood up and offered his hand to Eimear who accepted it delightedly.

The ball finished up and the guests left for the night. Keith danced with Eimear one last time, and when he took her home he was able to kiss her goodnight. Pidge and Larmina went out to Green Lion, who thoroughly approved of her dress. He then decided to go back to sleep when his pilot took it off of her, feeling happy that they were together with him.

Hunk and Anissa spent a long time saying good night, and Lance would have spent a long time saying good night to Allie too, but Dorcas was waiting up. She informed him that he only had thirty-eight and a half hours until his wedding, and to please leave. Allie giggled as Lance and Dorcas exchanged taunts, before the woman went back into the room, to give them the privacy for one last kiss.

Daniel and Vince had said good bye to the twins under the eagle eye of the Admiral, and were now lying in bed. Daniel was wondering whether the girls had been wearing red underwear under their red dresses. He was also shutting out Vince, who was thinking about what Pidge and Larmina might be doing.

Romelle was lying in her bed, both horrified and excited at the thought of what Fauk had told her. The man had bluntly propositioned her on the dance floor, in front of everyone. She had wanted to slap him, but had also been aroused by what he was saying. As she replayed the evening, Romelle was sad that a perfect stranger understood her better than her husband, the father of her son.

That man was in the small pilot's quarters, wondering why his wife couldn't do what he wanted just once. Sven felt like he had made a lot of comprises for her, but he didn't see any coming from Romelle. He knew that if it wasn't for Erik he would just walk away from it all. It was going to be a long night for him.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note: This chapter and the next chapter are rather long, but I do want to get going on the main story, of Keith's search for his family. I hope you all have enjoyed the lead up though, as it has been very fun to write.**_

_**For those of you who have been waiting for the cadets to be shipped off to the Arusian Military Academy, here is your chapter. My inspiration for Viscount Michael Lindsay (Monk) is the character 'Lord Andrew Lindsay', played by Nigel Havers, from the movie 'Chariots of Fire'. If you are shocked at how the cadets talk, please read 'The Lords of Discipline' by Pat Conroy.**_

_**Warning – Lemon alert!**_

_**Interlude-Arus**_

It was a week after the wedding, and things had settled down in the Castle. The wedding had been beautiful, and not as hard for Keith as he had thought it was going to be. He understood perfectly the Archbishop's sermon, that a wedding was both a beginning and an end.

Keith knew that it was the final end of his illusion relationship with Allura. Their love was never to be, and while it was sad, it was also freeing. There was so much out there for him, and he wasn't closing himself off from it anymore. He had asked Eimear to come with to the wedding, knowing they would be able to spend together at the reception.

It turned out that they had a lot of time together there, because while Allura and Lance did not eat and run, they certainly didn't stay around any longer than they needed to. Once they left Keith was free to socialize, and he had the chance to meet some of Eimear's friends. It was for him certainly the beginning of a new chapter of his life.

He had decided to take Eimear's advice, and not bring up the matter of the cigarette case. As much as he wanted answers, he knew that another month wasn't going to matter. The court circulars had not been any help, but he was going through census and land holding records now. They had been digitized so had survived the war. He knew where the main estate had been, but Eimear had pointed out that his family probably had had other holdings as well.

Keith put those thoughts of his mind, and got back to the morning briefing about the day's activities. This was the last week that Daniel and Vince would be there for a while. They were going to spend the next several months at the Arusian Military Academy, to stay current on their course work.

"One more thing, I expect everyone to be at lunch today. We have a guest coming to eat with us, and see the lions." Keith told them, hiding a smile. Larmina pressed for more details, and Hunk wanted to know if he needed to get dressed up.

"His Grace, the Duke of Northumblin will be having lunch with us, and then we will take the lions out. He will fly with me in Black, and we will do some drills and form Voltron." Keith explained to the table.

"You are going to take an eighty year old duke up in a lion?" Larmina asked in scandalous tones. When Hunk asked her how she knew how old the duke was, she told him that all dukes were ancient.

"Not true, Larmina. I'm going to be a duke and I'm not ancient." Pidge told her with a smile. He was going to be given a dukedom for all the work he had done for the Kingdom.

"It's different for you Pidge! But you've been at court functions, and you know what I mean." Larmina exclaimed, reaching over and kissing him on the cheek. Vince saw that, and when Daniel saw what was going through his friend's mind he wanted to slap him up the side of the head.

"Vince, you will fly Red Lion. Please be prepared to give His Grace a tour of your lion if he asks. Everyday dress code, but do be on your good behavior. Plan on meeting in the dining hall at 1200 hours." Keith said, getting up from the table. After he left there was much speculation among the team.

"This doesn't seem like Keith, pandering to some noble." Hunk said, and everyone nodded their heads. They all agreed that since Keith had been back from the Chapter House he had been a different person.

Keith was in the main hall just before noon, talking to Phillips, Eimear's house manager. He had brought her son over, after picking him up from a half day at school. Phillips was going to have lunch with Higgins and the staff, while the duke was with the pilots. Keith walked the young man down to the lower floor, talking as they did so.

"Thank you so much for doing this Commander Kogane. It is going to be awesome! All my friends at school are so jealous. Are we really going to form Voltron?" The young man asked excitedly, and Keith smiled at him.

"Yes, we are Your Grace. First, we will have lunch with the other pilots, and then I will show you Black Lion. After that we will launch all the lions and do some drills, finishing up with forming Voltron. I am sure that the other pilots would be willing to show you their lions too." Keith liked the way boy looked so excited.

"Sir, you can call me Aiden, please. Can I call you Commander Keith?" Aiden asked, very seriously and Keith said that would be fine. He wished he would have had a picture of the team's faces when he walked in with the young boy.

"I would like to present His Grace, the Duke of Northumblin." Keith said, and introduced the pilots, starting with Larmina first because of her royal rank. He watched as the young man properly kissed her hand and bowed to her. Keith figured they must teach etiquette at the prep school, or maybe Eimear had schooled him.

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Ladyship. All the older brothers of my friends are going to be very jealous of me." Aiden told her, looking at her with admiration. Larmina asked why, and Aiden explained.

"They all think you are hot. I guess all the guys at the Academy really like you a lot." He said very seriously, smiling as if he understood why. Aiden had been very glad to find out what hot meant, so he knew what his friends were talking about. He was glad his Mum was seeing Commander Keith, because the man knew all the important stuff.

"Your Grace, she is hot. She is also my fiancée. Commander Darrell Stoker." Pidge stepped up next to Larmina and bowed to the young man. Hunk was going to enjoy teasing his friend later that he'd better hurry up and get that dukedom before he got upstaged by a ten year old boy.

The rest of the introductions were made, and they sat down to eat. Over lunch Aiden asked them all kinds of questions about flying. Larmina managed to get out of him that his mother was the woman Keith had brought to the ball. She was finding it quite interesting about Eimear and Keith. She had spent some time with the woman at the reception and liked her a lot.

Aiden was impressed to find out that Vince and Daniel were going to the Academy at the end of the week. He told them all about it, in a knowing voice, from what his friends had heard from their older brothers. Daniel thought it sounded like great fun, but Vince wasn't so sure about the whole thing.

After lunch they went flying, and Aiden was sure that this was the most perfect day ever. Keith enjoyed showing the young man how everything worked, and what they were doing. Aiden was very smart and caught on quickly. Keith had looked up the details of his Father's military service, so he was able to talk to the boy about what his Father had done in the war.

Eimear and Keith talked later that night, and she told him that Aiden had talked of nothing else all evening. She said that Aiden had been impressed to learn about his Father, and she thanked Keith for telling the young man what he had. After some more chatting, Eimear invited him to go with her one day next week, to her estate. She had to be onsite for some work that was being done, and wanted him to accompany her. Keith accepted gladly, looking forward to the day.

It was the end of the week, and Keith was escorting Daniel and Vince to the Arusian Military Academy. Hunk had arranged a going away dinner the night before, and Larmina had read some stories from her Dad's journal about his time at the Academy. Fredericks had given the boys handbooks to read several weeks earlier, so they would be prepared. However, as Vince commented to Daniel, it was almost exactly like New West Point.

Daniel was looking forward to the experience, since he was grounded from flying. Vince was hoping that getting away from Pidge and Larmina would help him adjust to the situation. Daniel certainly hoped so. They had been surprised that Keith was taking them there personally, but then decided that maybe he just wanted to see the place.

In fact Keith had been to the Arusian Military Academy in the past, as part of Voltron Force. This time though, he was going for a different reason. He wanted to check out the place that Aiden would be attending in a couple of years. He recognized in the boy a hunger for a male influence in his life. Keith was sure that Eimear was trying her best, and having him at the military prep school was big help. It wasn't the same though, as a man that a boy could talk to one on one.

When they arrived at the Academy the Superintendent greeted them, and then turned Daniel and Vince over to the First Captain, to get settled. After Keith had said goodbye to the boys, the Superintendent took Keith into his office, and spoke about what the boys needed to cover while they were here. Keith then asked him questions about different matters, and how the military prep school program prepared boys for the Academy. He found it very informative, and saw that the program was well run. Finishing up, he left to go back to the Castle.

Daniel and Vince knew the drill for being lower classmen at their military academy, and it was the same thing here. They were surprised to learn that they would not be rooming together. It would be the first time in six months that they had not shared a room. Daniel thought to Vince _'well we can still read each other's minds_' which cheered Vince up. He got dropped off at his room first, and then the First Captain took Daniel to his room.

Vince started putting his belongings in the small cubby hole by his bed, while his three roommates regarded him with interest. The First Captain had made the introductions, and Vince made it a point to remember their names. The room had two sets of bunk beds, and on the wall was a video screen with a rather loud music video playing of the Zarkian Freaks. Vince was glad to see that his new roommates had decent taste in music at least. He finished putting his stuff away, and turned to look at them. They were about his age, and he thought it interesting that they all looked rather alike.

"We were wondering who they were going to put in here, after Louis left." One of the boys, whose name was Michael, but said that everyone called him Monk, told him. Vince asked why Louis had left the school, which caused the three boys to crack up.

"Dumb ass douche bag does the deed with his girl friend, but forgets to wear a jacket, so guess who is going to be a daddy?" The one named Porter said, while the third one, who went by Biff added that he'd always thought Louis a little dim. Vince didn't understand why not wearing a jacket would lead to getting a girl pregnant, but he didn't want to admit it. He nodded his head as if he knew what it meant. He got enlightened with Porter's next comment.

"I don't know about dim, but certainly cheap. He probably didn't want to buy a whole box of rubbers when he only thought he needed one." Porter shook his head at such stupidity. Vince now understood what the earlier comment had meant. He was sure that he was the last virgin in the galaxy.

"So you are from the Castle, huh? I want to know about Lady Larmina, and if you ever did the deed with her?" Monk asked, and Vince looked at him in shock, and said that she was engaged to be married.

"Monk is obsessed with fucking, just so you know. He has slept with more women than any of us, hence the reverse nickname of Monk; the guy is anything but. It gets annoying after a while, as you can imagine." Biff told Vince, slapping Monk's back with great hilarity.

"Do you play cards? We need a fourth for our poker game now that Louis is gone." Porter asked him, as he took out a deck of cards. Monk brought out a bottle of Arusian whiskey from his cubby hole, and the boys all got cups out. Vince had not played poker before, but said he'd like to learn. He'd always thought cards were a waste of time, but since these guys were going to be his roommates for the next couple of months he figured he needed to make an effort to get along.

He had planned to spend the evening going over his class schedule and reviewing class notes, but he wanted these guys to like him. They offered him the whiskey, and so for the first time Vince decided to drink some. He had not liked the taste before, but after some small sips decided that maybe it wasn't so bad. Vince still didn't understand most of the references the boys used in their conversations, all of which seemed to involve sex and curse words in some way.

Poker turned out to be very math based, and Vince had the game down in no time. He did very well, but was careful not to win too many hands. Vince drank just enough whiskey to get buzzed, and decided that poker was a very fun game. He was sure the time at the Academy would be better than he had expected.

Daniel's experience was quite different, and when he found out about Vince's roommates he was sure that someone was playing a bad practical joke. Daniel only had two other roommates, and when he got to the room they were both studying in absolute silence. The boy's names were Carsten and Garrison, and they were quick to inform Daniel that they ranked first and second in their class grade wise.

"If you look on the bed Daniel, you'll see your schedule and the code to get on the system. That is how you access the material, notes, and turn in your work." Carsten told him, and Daniel looked to see a tablet there. He brought up the information, and saw what he was going to be doing, including the physics class he had never passed.

"What kind of things do you guys do for fun around here?" Daniel asked, setting aside the tablet, hoping to get off the subject of school. The boys looked at him like he was from another planet, and when Daniel tried to ask them about music he found out that they really didn't listen to any.

"Just so you know we go to chapel every morning, right after PE drills and breakfast. You are only required to go on Sundays, but we like to go every day. It helps put you in the right frame of mind for your classes." Garrison told him, very seriously and Daniel started to get worried about what his life was going to be like for the next three months.

It was almost a month later and Larmina, Pidge, and Hunk were heading up the Academy to see Daniel and Vince. Hunk had wanted to take the lions up, but Keith had vetoed it, explaining that it was a private family visit. They were now sitting in a closed chauffeured hover car that discretely displayed the insignia of the royal house, because of Larmina.

Once Larmina had been told they couldn't take the lions, she had asked Fredericks to figure out the transportation. Pidge, because of the five years he had spent rebuilding Arus, as well as his recent engagement to Larmina, took it all for granted. He was also, in his other life, a major entertainment figure, so being fawned over was nothing new. Hunk however, other than when Mansett had sent the transport had never traveled in such high style especially for a barely hour long trip.

"Larmina, this seems rather over the top to go see Daniel and Vincent." Hunk declared, wondering whether he could have a second cup of coffee. He was taken aback to see Larmina act like this was par for the course, while Pidge was presented with coffee, yogurt, granola and fruit.

Hunk figured the staff must know what he liked, and then watched as Larmina helped herself to what was on the tray. She and Pidge had the easy intimacy of couples who knew and trusted each other completely. He knew that ninety-five percent of the time he was happy for them, but there was that small part of him that wanted what they had. He had liked Larmina a lot, but had been afraid to approach her while she was still in the school room, so to speak.

Her transition to the Blue Lion pilot had come so fast, and Hunk had not understood what it all meant at first. He knew now that by the time he had figured it out, she and Pidge were already in love with each other. He had felt so bad about the cheap shot he had thrown at his best buddy; about Larmina only liking him because he was DJ Prong, until after his talk with Keith.

Hunk felt very lucky that Pidge and Larmina were both kind and generous, and welcomed him back into their friendship with open arms. He and Anissa had enjoyed the engagement ball, and he had picked up that she really liked him a lot. Next month he, along with Pidge and Larmina, were going to go the music festival on Coapella VI, and he was thinking about asking her to go with him.

However, he wasn't sure about how to approach the room arrangements. Hunk knew that Larmina and Pidge were sleeping together, but didn't ask any questions. He also knew the standard set for ladies of the Arusian royal house, from listening to Lance. Anissa was a member of the nobility, and he wasn't sure how to approach the whole thing with her.

"Hunk, you need to eat! And you need more coffee." Larmina said, gesturing toward the steward to come forward. Hunk got more coffee, along with pastries and fruit. He smiled at her, and said thanks.

"I can hardly wait to get to Kressano Selo, and see it all!" Larmina declared, while Hunk looked at her with a puzzled face.

Pidge saw Hunk's look and said "Kressano Selo is the location of the Arusian Military Academy. The literal translation is 'swamp from hell'. Did you bring bug repellent?" Larmina tossed her head, letting her flame colored tresses catch the overhead light.

"Don't listen to him; he is all impressed with New West Point. Did you know that my Father won the marksmanship trophy all four years he was there? His portrait hangs in the main hall, above the trophy." She declared proudly, and Pidge gave her a fond smile.

Since she wasn't flying she was dressed in a beautiful green coat dress, with a lace camisole of the same green covering her chest. Her red hair was pulled back on the top with her cornet, and the rest curled around her shoulders. The dress fit her perfectly, showing off her figure nicely. She had black leather heels on, emerald drops at her ears, and the emerald and diamond miniature Pidge had given her.

"Your Father was an amazing man, and a credit to Arus! I have no problem with our first son going to the swamp, but our second son will go to New West Point, just so you understand." Pidge stated, and she cuddled up next to him. He was amazing, kind, and understanding of her. No one had ever gotten her like he did.

"Is there something I should know? Do I need to brush up on my baby sitting skills?" Hunk asked, looking at them intently. Pidge and Larmina got horrified looks, and then told him they wouldn't need a baby sitter for a couple of years yet.

Hunk watched all this, and wondered what it would be like to have Anissa here. Would she be shocked, or too busy cuddling with him. He had never had a woman affect him like she did, but she was also several levels above him, socially. Hunk was sure that she would not have waited to be offered more coffee, but would have asked the steward right out. He sighed, wishing it was all easier than it was.

"I talked to my Aunt and Lance, before we left this morning." Larmina said, eating out of Pidge's bowl. He smiled and asked what was happening with the couple.

"They are in Paris, and it sounds incredible! They are going to these great restaurants, shopping, and their hotel is awesome." Larmina declared with a big smile. Her Aunt had called her to see how things were doing, and she wanted to laugh because while she was talking to her, Lance had sent a private message, asking not to mention the chaise lounge.

She had been able to see that they were sitting on a beautiful terrace, with some old historic Arc in the background. Larmina was pretty sure they had just gotten out of bed, and would probably be back there fairly soon. She went on to tell Hunk and Pidge about all the places they had been.

"I don't understand why we can't go to Paris for our honeymoon!" Pidge declared, remembering how fun it was to get Larmina off of Arus. He added "I have more money than Lance does, so I can give you an even more elaborate honeymoon.

"Why does that matter?" Hunk asked, looking interested. Larmina explained that Lance organized and paid for the trip, other than the security needed. That way he got to control the whole thing. Hunk had always known that Lance had money, but now started to understand how much money Lance must really have.

"I don't want some elaborate honeymoon, Pidge! I want to go to Heligdorre, in the north Arusian Ocean. It is the most perfect place in the world, and I want to share it with you." Larmina stated, and Pidge sighed. He was glad that Mina had no interest in his money or fame, but that made him want to do even more for her. She had told him all about the ocean resort that was beloved of the royal family and Arusian nobility. Pidge figured if it made her happy, he would go along.

When they arrived at the Academy, the Superintendent greeted them, and took them into the Great Hall. It might be an incognito visit, but Larmina was still royalty and must be treated as such. They admired the portrait of her father, in the dark green dress uniform with its fur trimmed cape and gold braid. Below the picture, on the landing of the carved wooden double stair case, sat the silver marksmanship trophy.

"I see that no one has defeated my Father's record." Larmina declared to the Superintendent, who bowed his head. They exchanged pleasantries for several minutes until Vince showed up, trailed by three boys wearing the cadet uniform of the Academy. They were all tall, slim, with varying shades of fair to brown hair and blue eyes.

"Your Ladyship, Viscount Michael Lindsay." One of them said, taking Larmina's hand and kissing it, while bowing. He looked her straight in the eye and said "My Father, the Earl of Kilridge was a roommate of your father, His Highness Prince Andrei, when they were at the Academy here."

Larmina's eyes went wide, and then she smiled and said "Your father is Kikki? I have my Dad's journals, and he wrote about him all the time." Viscount Lindsay inclined his head with a pleased smile. He then introduced Baron Alain Bifteron, and the Honorable Porter Langley.

"Your Grace, congratulations on your engagement! All of us at the Academy are very envious of you." The young man bowed to Pidge, while almost leering at Larmina. Pidge had not received his dukedom yet, but obviously this young man had good connections at court, since he knew all about it.

Viscount Lindsay then turned to Hunk and bowed, saying "Commander Garrett, it an honor to have you here! Just so you know Porter is looking forward to chatting to you. I guess that you took his sister to the engagement ball?"

Hunk looked at the self-assured Viscount, and then over at Porter, and right away saw the resemblance. He wasn't sure whether he was happy to meet one of Anissa's brothers, or dismayed. All these young man were totally confident and comfortable with their world.

The next fifteen minutes were spent visiting with each other, while Hunk felt like Porter was giving him the eagle eye. Pidge was not pleased with how Viscount Lindsay was chatting up Larmina, as Biff and Vince went along with it. He was also sorry that Larmina had her hair down, and how the sun from the high windows made it look like flames.

He watched Vince, noticing a bravado that had not been there before. The three young men were flirting with his fiancée, and the Viscount was totally over the top. Part of him was glad that Vince had integrated so well with his peer group, but wished that they would stop casting lavish looks at Larmina.

Pidge was all set to step in, when Daniel came up with his roommates. The two boys had the same uniform on, but their demeanor was much more serious than the other three. Carsten and Garrison were Honorables too, and all knew proper etiquette for dealing with royalty. However, once they had kissed Larmina's hand, and said hello, they were more interested in talking to Pidge.

Garrison had read several of Pidge's research papers, and wanted to discuss them with him. Carsten had also read the papers, and had questions, but Pidge did notice that he still cast glances at Larmina. While Hunk was busy with Porter, Larmina with Vince, Monk, and Biff, Pidge was explaining a theorem to Daniel's roommates.

Pidge noticed two things as he was talking to the boys. He saw Daniel standing there by himself, looking rather downcast. Pidge also noticed groups of three and four boys at time passing through the main hall, all looking at his fiancée like she was a model. He normally wasn't the jealous type, but he didn't like how all these young males were eyeing Larmina. He'd had enough of it, and enough of the two would be scientists.

He announced loudly that they needed to get to the restaurant, so they should be leaving. The only one who was happy with Pidge's announcement was Daniel. Hunk had been having a good chat with Porter, who turned out to be a great guy. He had told Hunk how much Sissi, which is what the brothers all called their sister, really liked him. Carsten and Garrison wanted to keep on talking to Pidge, while Monk and Biff did not want to say goodbye to Larmina.

The restaurant was a short distance away, and when they arrived they were shown to a private room. In the car ride on the way over Daniel and Vince had wanted to be filled in on the happenings at the Castle. Larmina would compare notes with Pidge and Hunk later, and they all found it interesting that Daniel seemed more homesick than Vince.

"Daniel, I have to say that I am impressed with your grades. You must really be working hard." Pidge told him, trying to cheer the young man up.

"Of course, they are good. I do nothing but study and go to chapel while that one." Daniel said vehemently, "That one is playing poker and drinking whiskey with his roommates." Everyone at the table looked at Vince, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"They are great guys, and poker is all math based. It is a fun game, and I don't want my roommates to think I'm some square. We don't get drunk or anything, and my grade point is still higher than yours." Vince said unapologetically.

Hunk and Pidge exchanged looks as Vince finished talking. Part of the reason for sending the boys to the Academy had been to expose Vince to boys his own age, and make him a little worldlier. Obliviously that part had succeeded, and Pidge saw that Vince wasn't uncomfortable around him anymore. He was glad about that, but not fond of how the boy behaved with Larmina. It was how his roommates had behaved with her, too flirtatious for Pidge's taste.

Vince had come to terms with Pidge and Larmina having sex, just from listening to his roommates talk about nothing else. If they weren't talking about who they had banged, they talked about who they wanted to. It cured Vince of his squeamishness about having sex, but now he thought about having sex with Larmina all the time. The boys were fond of making up porn fantasies with Larmina, and Vince had gotten bonus points for his 'hot springs' one.

Pidge thought about how Monk, Biff, and even Vince flirted with Larmina in the main hall. That made Pidge think of all the boys who had passed through the hallway while they were standing there. "I want to know why all those boys were coming and going in the main hall, staring at Larmina?" Pidge asked Daniel and Vince.

"All the guys have pictures of you in their rooms, Larmina. You are hot stuff! Monk, that is Michael, is a really big fan." Vince said, giving Larmina a flirtatious smile. Hunk looked at Pidge and started to feel bad for his little buddy. First the ten year old duke, and now the entire Arusian Military Academy were in love with his fiancée.

"Please that guy is a big fan of anything female! They say he even did the school nurse, which I would believe. Monk indeed!" Daniel huffed, thinking of the unfairness of it all that Vince had great roommates while he had 'Dour' and 'Glower' as he had named his roommates.

"Really? I am?" Larmina asked with a pleased look on her face. She wasn't shocked by what the boys were saying, having spent years eavesdropping on the servants, and anyone else in the Castle. Vince explained how all the cadets admired her father, and hoped that if they won his trophy she would kiss that cadet.

"I don't care if the damn cadet shoots down Lotor; she is not kissing anyone but me." Pidge declared, looking grumpy. He knew all about teenage males, having been one, and didn't like the idea that they were jerking off to fantasies of Larmina.

"Are you jealous, Pidgee?" Larmina said, snuggling next to him as she put her arms around his waist. "You know I don't want to kiss anyone but you!" She then proceeded to do just that, and Pidge responded enthusiastically as he put his arms around her shoulders.

"Do you guys want to go get a room?" Vince asked, as he perused the menu. Hunk knew that a month ago Vince would not have uttered a remark like that, and hid a smile. The young man was growing up, and it was about time in Hunk's opinion. In fact Vince was imagining that Larmina was making out with him, and Daniel's brain was being flooded with way too much information. He kicked Vince under the table and thought to him '_knock it off_'.

"Porter was glad to meet you, Hunk. He and his sister are very close, and she had told him that you were taking her to the ball. He has been pumping me for information about you. Don't worry, I told him what a great guy you are." Vince told Hunk, who beamed at the thought. Pidge and Larmina had stopped making out, but were still snuggled together in the round booth.

"Hunk, you should ask her to come to the music festival with us. I was talking to her at the ball, and she is a big fan Qwil Z, who are headlining the show." Larmina declared, smiling at Hunk.

"Qwil Z is great! We listen to their stuff a lot while we study." Vince declared, and Daniel sighed. Pidge, Hunk, and Larmina looked at him for clarification.

"We don't listen to music in my room, because it gets in the way of studying. Not that it matters, because Dour and Glower have shit ass musical taste anyway. They actually like that drip Bohn Fesh, and his songs." Daniel said, and everyone at the table shuddered at the thought of the singer.

"Daniel, I think you need some proper food to cheer you up." Hunk said, slapping him on the back.

"Look at it this way, you only have another two months left, and then you get to come back to the Castle." Larmina told Daniel, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. That made Daniel smile for the first time, since they arrived. Vince felt very jealous as he watched the whole thing, which pleased Daniel no end.

"I'm making progress on the line of research with our hydroponic gardener's cannabis. Its chemical makeup is slightly different, but I'm not sure why. I will have to go visit him again, and get more information." Pidge told the boys, who looked interested.

"Can you say hello the twins? They actually sent me a nice note, before I left for the Academy." Daniel said, and Pidge promised that he would. Hunk looked at Daniel, and once again thought how unfair everything was for Daniel right now.

After a large meal, mostly eaten by Hunk, Daniel, and Vince, they took the boys back to the Academy. Larmina had already told Pidge what she was going to do, and he went along with it for Daniel's sake if nothing else. In the Great Hall Larmina said goodbye to the boys by hugging them, while kissing them on the cheek. It was observed by several cadets, and word spread fast. Vince and Daniel spent the next week being the toast of the Academy.

That evening Pidge was sitting on Larmina's bed in his boxers, watching her work on several holoscreens in the little sitting area. She had on one of his old NWP t-shirts, that clung to her body tightly, and a dark blue lace and satin thong. Pidge hoped she would finish soon, because he was getting excited just looking at her.

"What are you smiling about, Darrell?" Larmina in mock seriousness, already having a pretty good idea what was on his mind. Her red hair was loose and curly, and she brushed it back as she looked at him.

"Just thinking about how your fan club would love to see you now!" Pidge smirked at her.

"I can't believe you were jealous of a bunch of teen age boys." She told him, giggling.

Pidge rolled his eyes and said "I know all about teenage boys, because I was one. I don't like the idea of you being their number one fantasy." Pidge said, thinking about how Vince and his roommates had flirted with her.

"You know, we all wanted Vince to get a little worldlier, but I'm afraid that another two months with Viscount Monk will turn him into the next Lance." Pidge added concern in his voice.

"Well now that my Aunt has retired him, someone needs to take his place." She said, as she rearranged furniture on the various screens.

"When I talked to them this morning, I'm sure they'd just gotten out of bed. They were both in bathrobes, and it was 11:00am in Paris. They probably went back to bed, right after we talked." Larmina said with a giggle.

"That is what you do on a honeymoon, Mina, you have sex all day!" Pidge told her, getting a big grin on his face. He was looking forward to being able to be with her all the time, and not just sneaking up to her room at night. It was farce, because everyone knew they were sleeping together, but he understood that at least the impression of uprightness had to be maintained.

"On the subject of your Aunt and Lance, is that for their bedroom?" Pidge asked, and she nodded her head, and then told Pidge how she had been able to find a copy of the chaise lounge that Lance had sent the picture of.

"Lance wants to surprise my Aunt with the chaise, but I'm still amazed that he likes French furniture." Larmina declared, and added that it worked well with her design luckily. Pidge asked why she only worked on the room up here, and not down with everyone else.

"I don't think my Aunt would want everyone to see their bedroom, especially Keith." Larmina said. "Do you think it matters? I think he is too busy with Eimear to be concerned about Allura anymore." Pidge said, not understanding the issue.

"Well, I would have thought that too, but I think he still has some feelings for my Aunt." Larmina stopped working on the screens, and came over to the bed.

"Honey, he was in love with her for eight years, I mean that is not going to go away over night." Pidge said, and then noticed her thoughtful expression. He asked her about it, and she sighed.

"Keith said something to my Aunt, at the ball, that made her very angry." Larmina said, twirling a piece of her hair. Pidge willed himself not to get distracted by that gesture, realizing that she was very concerned about the matter. He asked her to explain what had gone on.

"I wasn't there when it happened, but I came up to her right after she walked away from Keith. She had that tight look she gets around her mouth; you know when she is really angry?" Larmina asked, and Pidge nodded his head, having been the cause of it several months earlier.

"Did she tell you what he'd said?" Pidge asked, getting intrigued now and wondering what Keith could have said to set Allura off. She had been so happy and relaxed since getting engaged, so he knew it must have been pretty serious.

"When I came up to her, I asked her what she was upset about. I didn't get the specifics, but she did say that Keith had said something very rude, and unkind; something like that, and that he really needed to learn to mind his own business." Larmina finished explaining.

"How do you know it concerned his feelings for her? Maybe it was something else?" Pidge queried, but then agreed with her comment that what else would it be. He hoped it wasn't the beginning of something else, as these last couple of months had been filled with drama. He really wanted peace, and if Keith was going to be making Allura mad, no one would be happy. Pidge said as much to Larmina, who agreed.

"Lance will take Keith on if he tries anything, you know? Lance loves my Aunt very much, and he will protect her no matter what. I would like to know though what Keith said." Larmina mused, staring off into space.

Pidge was tired of the subject of Keith, Allura, and Larmina's redecorating. He reached over, grabbed her hand, and pulled her on the bed without warning. He then rolled over, so he was on top of her.

"Oh, that was tricky Pidge!" She said giggling, having long ago figured out that while she could kick anyone else's butt; she was no match for Pidge's strength. He looked down at her, the red hair splayed against the sheets. The navy blue t-shirt, with its yellow lettering, was tight across her chest, and he could see the faint outlines of her nipples. The dark blue thong did nothing to keep the dark auburn curls in check, only highlighting her crotch.

"Mina, you do know all those oversexed teenage boys would take one look at you right now and cream their pants!" Pidge declared in a satisfied tone. She looked up at him, liking how proud and satisfied he looked.

"I think you know all about oversexed, Darrel Stoker! Or should I say Your Grace? That Viscount is quite impressed with you, you know. I bet he wishes he were you right now, honey." Larmina purred, taking her hands and lightly stroking Pidge's chest. She then moved lower, to where his shaft was bulging against his boxers.

"Creaming their pants, huh? I've not heard that one before." She said with a sly grin, as she pulled the waist band down and wrapped her fingers around Pidge's cock. The movement distracted him, and before he knew what happened she was on top of him.

"Such bad ninja behavior, Pidge! Sloppy, sloppy, you know. You should not be so easily distracted." Larmina said in a pleased tone. Pidge looked up at her, and her full breasts straining at her shirt.

"Mina, you are the only thing that distracts me, just so you know." Pidge growled, as she rubbed her crotch against his erection. He groaned, and put his hands on her hips, grinding them against him.

"Your Grace, do you want to fuck me?" Larmina asked, pretending to act all shocked at the idea.

"What if I told you that I wanted you to fuck me, Your Ladyship?" Pidge asked, getting an idea in his mind. She looked at him with interest, and he explained it.

"You get that little thong off, and put my cock inside you, as far as you want. Deep, shallow, whatever feels good. I want to see you pleasure yourself off of me, and then when you are done, I will come." Pidge said in a deliberate voice.

"I sometimes forget that you ninja scientists like to experiment! So I can do whatever feels good, and you will do nothing until I climax, right?" She wanted to make sure that she understood what he wanted. Pidge nodded his head, and let Larmina pull his boxers off, raising his hips to help her. She had her thong off quickly, and since she was already wet from their conversation she got going right away.

Larmina positioned his cock so it was just above her opening, and then lightly rubbed against it, letting her juices coat it. Pidge felt her warmth, and wetness against his bulging erection, and it took a lot not to push up into her. He thought about several complicated math equations, as she slowly lowered herself on him.

"Pidge, you are being so still; don't you want to thrust inside me?" Larmina asked a teasing note in her voice. She was finding it hard to believe that Pidge was going to just lay there while she pleasured herself.

"Mina, I want to see what you find enjoyable. I am also enjoying watching you ride my cock; it is incredibly sexy." Pidge said, doing an elaborate calculus equation in his head. She smiled happily, and let him slide all the way inside her. Pidge felt her hot wetness around his shaft, and decided that calculus was not distracting enough. Instead he focused on a four step chemical equation, and then shifted to a time and space theory as she rode him harder, and harder.

Larmina then decided to tighten around his cock as she pushed it deeper into her. She would then release a bit, and then tighten her muscles again, as she moved to get him deeper. Pidge was running out of math to do in his head, and truly hoped that she would climax soon, because he was almost incoherent.

"Pidge do you like me tightening my pussy around your cock?" Larmina asked, giggling, and Pidge thought it totally unfair that she could giggle while he couldn't even think anymore. Just then Larmina pushed against him, letting him even deeper in her. She clenched around his cock, and shifted just slightly.

He felt her body tense up, and then she clung to him, as the climax hit her body hard. She screamed, and Pidge felt the changes inside her, awed at what her core was doing. Suddenly he couldn't hold himself back anymore, and grabbed her buttocks as he shoved her hard against him. He growled loudly as he released into her, and she got to feel his body climaxing.

When it was done they were holding each other closer, trying to catch their breaths. She had her head on his chest, while he slowly stroked her hair. They fell asleep quickly, but not before they told each other how much they loved each other.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's Note: Special thank you to KathDMD who helped with the Paris backdrop. The penthouse suite at the hotel does exist; you can view it on their website. I took some liberties though with some of the details.**_

_**Warning: Lance/Paris/Honeymoon – do I need to say more? **_

_**Interlude – Honeymoon**_

Allura and Lance were in the second week of their honeymoon, in Paris. The first week had been at Lenggries, a mountain resort on Arus with hot springs. They had stayed in a beautiful house that had its own private hot spring right outside the bedroom. Lance had made all the arrangements for everything. He had insisted that he wasn't going to make love to her for the first time in the Castle. He also told her that they were going to take a whole month off, and unless Arus was invaded, she wasn't going to work. Allura had asked him what she was going to do with her time, and the look he gave her said it all.

Lance had been kind and gentle, and the whole experience turned out to be amazing. They had spent the week in bed, or in the hot springs just relaxing. Allura knew there were some servants around, but she never saw them. It was the perfect introduction to married life, and it had been nice that they were away from prying eyes. She was also able to relax and give herself totally over to Lance.

Their next stop was Paris, and it had been one of the places Lance had talked about to her, during the five years. They flew into a private spaceport, and took a luxurious hover limousine to the Four Seasons King George V hotel. Allura had been concerned about staying somewhere commercial, but Lance had told her that the hotel dealt with royalty and heads of state all the time. In fact the hotel had been in business since the 19th century, catering to the same people.

The penthouse suite was amazing, with a 360 degree view of the city, including the Eiffel Tower. There was a lushly decorated foyer and living room, along with an office that Lance banned them from. The bedroom was amazing, all white, beige, and gold with fresh orchids in one of the vases. The bed was huge, and Lance was sure that the linens were better than the ones in the Castle. The bathroom was all marble and mirrors and Lance had great fun telling her what they were going to do in the shower.

All the rooms had some kind of view of the city, and the balconies were like little gardens. She and Lance would drink coffee there in the morning, or have a nightcap and watch the lights of Paris. During the day they explored the city, and some of the countryside. Allura knew that there were protection officers around, but she didn't see them. She had been concerned about the paparazzi following them, but it had been 'leaked' that they were on Dradin. Mansett later thanked Coran for helping his resort so much, because of all the reporters camped out there.

Tonight she was in the large marble bathroom of the suite, looking at herself in the mirror. Lance had insisted that she borrow the black Gavin D dress that Larmina had worn, and she had been shocked at the time. Allura had then been even more shocked when Larmina had given her the underpants that went with it. She had never seen anything like them before, and when Larmina had finished explaining about thong underwear she'd been bright red.

Lance had told her that they were going to go to an exclusive restaurant called Le Meurice, in the heart of the city. It over looked the Tuileries Gardens, which Lance said they would walk around after dinner. The formal gardens had been laid out several hundred years earlier, and had survived quite a few wars. The menu at the restaurant was top notch, and the service excellent. Lance said the restaurant was also very discrete with their clientele.

Allura took one last look at herself in the mirror before she went to show Lance. The dress was black, short, and tight. It was made of silk, but within the silk was a slashing design done in a sheer black fabric. The slashing was asymmetrical across the dress, and very provocative with where it started and stopped. It was sleeveless, with just thin straps holding it up.

The dress had been short on Larmina, and was even shorter on her, because she was taller. Allura had to admit though that with her blond hair loose, she looked very different than her usual royal self. Larmina had also given her some high heeled sandals of black leather with lots of straps. She had told her Aunt that they were called bondage sandals, and drove guys wild. Allura was amazed that her niece knew all this, but decided not to ask where the knowledge had come from.

When she walked into the cream and gold living room, her heels clicking on the pale wood floor, Lance had his back to her watching the football game on the large holoscreen on the wall. He heard the clicks of her heels and turned around, then went slack jawed in shock. Allura couldn't believe she could elicit this reaction from him.

"Sugar that is some dress! Come over so I can get a closer look." Lance said giving her one of his slow perusals that she loved. He reached his hand up and moved her blond hair off her shoulder, caressing her skin as he did so. He had her turn around, and then put his arms on her waist, pulling her back against his chest. She nestled against him, feeling his manhood as his hands stroked her sides.

"Allie, feel what you've done to me." Lance said in a low voice, his breath warm on her skin. He slowly started kissing her neck, letting his tongue gently lick in a twirling pattern. One of his hands came up and covered her breast, making her nipple harden through the thin silk.

"Darling, are you wearing a bra?" Lance asked, as she moaned while his thumb moved back forth against the hard nipple.

"Lance, please, ahh. The dress had built in support." She managed gasp, and then decided that if she didn't get away from him they wouldn't be going anywhere for dinner. She knew her husband fairly well enough by now, and once he got going he wasn't going to stop.

Allie forced herself to turn to face him, stepping back as she did so. Lance got a rueful look on his face, and privately decided that Pidge must have impeccable self control, probably because of his ninja blood. He'd taken Larmina out for a whole evening of dancing in that dress, but Lance wasn't sure if he was going to make it to dinner. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

"What king of panties are you wearing? Or are you even wearing any?" Lance asked in his slow drawl, remembering the other day at the Palace of Versailles. They had been getting a private tour of the place, and just about the time he'd thought that he never wanted to see another piece of French furniture again, Allie had whispered in his ear that she didn't have any panties on.

Lance had looked at her for confirmation that he had heard what he thought he had, and saw her Cheshire cat grin. He'd told their guide that Her Majesty was not feeling well, and was there somewhere private she could sit for a couple of moments. The guide had been all concerned, and led them to a small room, off one of the reception rooms. She had then excused herself, to give Allura some privacy.

The minute the tour guide was gone; Lance had locked the door and made love to Allie on a Louis XIV chaise lounge. They could barely keep a straight face when Lance summoned the guide, saying Her Majesty was feeling better. It turned out that the room had been used by Marie Antoinette, and was one of the few intact rooms. The furniture was so valuable that it was not shown on the tours. Lance thought it fitting that a queen should make love on a queen's historic furniture.

Allie told the guide that she loved the chaise lounge, and too bad that it wasn't for sale. Lance took a couple of pictures of the piece, and later sent them to Larmina without Allie knowing. He included a note wondering if Larmina could find a replica, and work it into the bedroom design she was doing. Larmina had been surprised at Lance's request, not thinking he was the French furniture type.

"I'm not sure you could consider them panties, Lance. It is something called a thong!" Allie told him, turning slightly pink.

"Sugar, now where did you get a thong from?" Lance asked a wicked grin on his face. She told him about Larmina, and Lance laughed loudly at her explanation.

"Please, it isn't even proper underwear!" Allie declared, which caused Lance to get a gleam in his eye.

"Allie, I think we need to take you shopping for some proper underwear. Luckily Paris is one of the best places to do it." Lance said, and then realized the double entendre of his remark. Allie flashed him a flirtatious look, tossing her gold hair as she did.

"Lance why do I get the feeling that your definition of proper underwear is not Dorcas' definition?" She asked, tilting her head. Lance looked at her, in that dress that let him imagine so much and those dark blue eyes sparkling. He decided it would be very fun to take her out, if only because every other man was going to be hard with desire, and jealous as hell.

"If you want me to feed you we should get going, otherwise we will stay here and go straight to dessert." Lance told her, extending his hand to her. Allie gave him a loving look, thinking that dessert was going to be incredible.

The restaurant was amazing, its white, gold, and silver décor, all cool and soothing. The mosaic floor, antique crystal chandelier, and heavy damask drapes of white and silver gave it the feeling of a dining room in a chateau. They were shown to a table in a secluded alcove that overlooked the beautiful formal gardens that were in full bloom. Allie, looking at how Lance was eyeing her, was starting to wonder whether they would be walking in the gardens tonight.

She left it to Lance to order, telling him that everything looked too good. They both spoke excellent French, which impressed the wait staff. Lance ordered an appetizer of chanterelle mushrooms in a wine, butter, and veal juice sauce. He ordered her a wild salmon served in a stock of orange peel and juniper berries. The roasted rack of lamb from the Pyrenees with basil mousse caught his eye.

They had Kir Royales while they were waiting for the food, and chatted about the day. When the appetizer came, Allie saw that it was served with spears of endive lettuce. It gave her an idea, on how to tease Lance. She picked up one of the spears, and swirled it in the dressing.

"Lance, what should we do after dinner?" Allie asked very innocently, as she brought the spear up to her mouth and put her lips around it. She slowly sucked the dressing off, moving it just slightly in and out of her mouth. Lance watched what she was doing, and felt a hot, hard rush in his cock. She put that spear down, but picked up another one, and repeated the motion. Lance closed his eyes, trying to stifle a groan.

"Honey, are you all right?" Allie asked in a sweet voice, with just a hint of a giggle.

"Allie, have I told you what a naughty tease you are?" Lance said in a slow drawl, trying to focus his thoughts. She smiled like an angel at him. For the next couple of minutes she behaved herself, and chatted about the food. The tables had long cloths that went all the way to the floor she'd noticed when they sat down.

The sandals had been hurting her feet, so she had discretely taken them off, wiggling her toes. The first day they'd been at the hotel she'd gone down to the spa and gotten a pedicure. Her toes were a bright scarlet red that Lance thoroughly approved of. Allie looked over at her handsome husband, his brown eyes soft, and his deep auburn hair glowing like red wine from the overhead chandelier. Lance was impeccably dressed in a bespoke grey suit, white dress shirt, and a tie in blue, grey, and maroon. He took her breath away sometimes, like now.

"Lance, it is true that Paris was almost destroyed several times over?" Allie asked, looking at him intently. As she asked she took her barefoot and worked it up under his trouser leg. She slowly started stroking his inner calf, letting her toes get just high enough to touch the skin above his sock. Allie let them stay there for just a moment, and then rubbed her foot back down to his ankle.

"Darling, I like what those sexy red toes are doing, but it is very unfair of you to do it in public." Lance said, breathing very heavily. She tossed her head, which caused her hair to sparkle like spun gold. He knew it felt like silk, and suddenly he wanted to feel it very badly. He took a big sip of his drink, and shot her a warning look.

"Allie, if you want dinner you had better stop it. Or I call for the check and we leave now." Lance said, hoping she would decide on the second option. He felt her remove his foot, and knew that she wasn't ready to go yet.

"Oh, fine." She pretended to pout, but was really trying to keep from laughing out loud. That was one of things he loved about her, was how much fun she could be. Lance knew that she had buried it when she was trying to fly and be queen. It had been good to see her sense of humor come back these last couple of weeks, now that she wasn't stressed out about trying to do it all. He, along with her Father, had made it very clear to her that she could only do so much, and she wasn't helping anyone if she was tired and run down.

"I will behave, so I can have some more of this wonderful food. What wine did you order with dinner?" Allie asked, looking very happy. Lance was great to travel with, as he was very sophisticated about food and wine. He would order things that she would never have thought of, and they were all wonderful. It was nice to be with someone who took such good care of her, and made her feel loved and protected. She had almost cried one night when he had told her that while she took care of Arus, he would take care of her.

They had a discussion about the wine, and he told her about a short trip they were going to do in a couple of days to the wine country. It sounded lovely, seeing beautiful houses and vineyards, while enjoying wine, bread, and cheese. She remembered all the things they had talked about doing, and a trip to the wine country had been one of them.

Their dinners arrived, and Allie was amazed at how beautifully it was prepared. The wine was an old burgundy that went well with both the salmon and the lamb. She asked for a bite of his lamb, so he put some on fork, and extended it across the table. She reached with her hand, but put her fingers around his wrist, as she pulled the fork to her mouth.

Lance felt her slim white fingers holding his wrist, and watched as she daintily took the piece of lamb with her red lips, showing her tongue as she did so. Lance gave her a mischievous look, while winking at her. He knew exactly what her game was, and enjoyed playing it with her. One of the things that he enjoyed about her was what a really passionate, physical person she was.

"This is all delicious, but I would probably be enjoying it more if I wasn't rock hard, Darling." Lance told her with a pleased smile. She laughed, and drank some of her wine, complimenting him on the choice.

"Lance, look at it this way, the harder you are the greater the release will be. I know physics after all." Allie told him in a very proper voice, while having some more of her salmon.

"Sugar, that is true but you need to remember that I have to stand up and walk across the room." Lance said, as he ate some of his lamb. Allie of course had an answer for that too.

"Lance, no one is going to be looking at you while I am wearing this dress." She told him in a gloating tone. She decided she was going to have to get something really nice for Larmina, in return for the loan of the dress. Allie had discovered how wonderful it was to make your lover happy, and Lance looked like a man who had everything he had ever wanted. She could still see his reaction when he had seen the dress for the first time.

"Darling, I need to tell you, between you and me, ok?" Lance said in a low voice, and she looked at him closely. He went on "You do so much more justice to that dress than Larmina, no offense intended you understand. Your body is amazing, and I think tonight I am going to lick every inch of it." As he said that he took his tongue and licked some of the sauce off of the piece of lamb on his fork before he ate it.

Allie looked at his tongue, knowing exactly what it felt like on her body, and suddenly decided she'd had enough food. She still had her sandals off, and taking one of her legs raised it up so her foot rested against his crotch. The movement surprised Lance, who dropped the fork he was holding. He felt her foot start to massage his crotch, and he realized that dinner was over. He signaled the waiter, pleaded an emergency, and took care of the check.

They made it out of the restaurant, with Allie walking in front of Lance. He knew every man was checking her out, and looking at him with envy. They got into the waiting hovertaxi, and Lance told the driver what hotel. Allie looked over at him, with his glittering eyes, and down at his bulging crotch. She went to go put her hand on his thigh, and was surprised when he removed.

"Allie, unless you want me to fuck you in this taxi, right now, keep your hands to yourself." Lance told her in a ragged voice. She knew when he started using that kind of language exactly what type of sex they were going to have. She sighed happily, a smile of anticipation on her face.

She was impressed with how fast Lance had her in their hotel room, with her dress and his clothes off. He led her into the bedroom, but instead of stopping at the bed he went out to the private terrace off of the room. The terrace was set up like a conservatory, with topiaries and flowers in elaborate pots and planter boxes. In one corner were a small table and two chairs, just big enough for an intimate meal.

There were also some arm chairs, and a small love seat, grouped around an elaborate rug with a design of flowers, ribbons, and medallions, all in pink, white, and blue. The view from the terrace was of the Arc de Triomphe lit up in a soft pink glow. The city lights glittered around it like fine diamonds against an almost black sky.

Lance laid her down on the rug, admiring how the pink, blue, and white design looked against her gold hair and blue eyes. She still had the black lace thong on, which looked very sexy against her creamy skin. Lance let his fingers trail over her stomach, to the top part of the black lace, lightly brushing the dark gold curls that were coming out the sides.

"Didn't Nanny tell you not to play with your food, Allie?" Lance asked with mock seriousness, as his fingers made their way to her crotch. She moved against them, and he trailed them back up to the top of her thong. Allie almost whimpered, having been ready for his touch.

"Darling, did you want my fingers there?" Lance asked very slowly, his fingers tracing a path down her leg and up her inner thigh. He was lying next to her, and could feel her start to turn to face him.

"No, no, no Allie I want you on your back." Lance told her firmly, as he straddled her, pinning her to the rug. She looked up at him, her blue eyes already aroused, and her breath coming fast.

"Lance what are you doing?" She asked, not understanding why he hadn't ravished her by now.

"If you remember at the restaurant, dearest, I told you that you are a naughty tease. Here I take you out for a wonderful meal, and you get me so aroused by playing with the food, that I almost had you right at the table. Now that would have been a story for the tabloids!" He declared, a smile spreading across his face.

"I think you need to know what it is like to feel sexually frustrated, darling. What that dress did to me was bad enough, but then your performance at dinner, well, I spent the evening all sexually frustrated, you see." Lance explained as if he was discussing the weather. She got a smile on her face and thought for a moment.

"Lance, aren't you still sexually frustrated?" She asked in a teasing voice.

"Sugar, I am. My plan for the evening is a quick, immediate release for me, a long, slow release for you, and then one for me. I am going to keep you up most of the night, just so you know." Lance said in his slow drawl, the southern accent that only came out when he was tired or aroused being heard.

"I am rather curious about your plan for a quick, immediate release for you. Am I involved?" Allie asked in a hopeful voice.

"Do you remember that little act you did with the endive spears, at dinner?" He asked, moving up her torso some. She nodded her head, and he went on "I want you to pretend that my cock is one of those endive spears, covered in dressing, ok? And you need to suck all the dressing off." She got a very wide eyed look at what he wanted. The first time she'd done it to him had been at the hot springs.

Still straddling her he moved so he was above her, his cock right by her mouth. Allie stuck her tongue out so she could lick the tip of his shaft, just like a lollipop. Lance let out a low growl, as he felt her tongue wetting his cock. He moaned when she put her lips around the slight bulb at the top and lightly sucked.

Allie put one of her hands around the base of his erection, letting her fingers lightly stroke his balls. That caused him to moan some more, and he pushed further into her mouth as she sucked a little harder. By now he hardly coherent, with what she was doing to him. He felt her tongue stroke the sides of his cock, before she started sucking again.

"Oh god, oh, Allie, I'm." Lance never finished the sentence as the world went black inside his head. He released with a hard shudder that shook his body. He felt Allie sucking and swallowing, and he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

"Sugar, I have to say I think I got a better performance than those endive spears did." Lance laughed, as he pulled her close to him. Allie licked her lips, and gave him a pleased smile. She was still impressed with the reaction she got from him when she put her mouth on his cock.

"Would you like a nightcap, before we move on to the rest of the evening?" He asked, and she said yes. He went over to the bar and brought back two sniffers of Hennessy cognac for them. They sat together on the rug, admiring the Arc as they drank. It was wonderful to snuggle with him, naked and outside, she thought.

"Lance, exactly what are you planning on doing to me for the rest of the evening?" Allie asked as they finished their cognac. He took the glasses, and put them off to the side. Lance then whispered in her ear exactly what he was going to do to her.

The next morning Allie shifted as she woke up, and realized she was in bed, the sun shining brightly through the windows. The last thing she remembered was being out on the terrace, naked with Lance on top of her. The sky was black and thick with stars, and she was having an orgasm that was like none she'd ever had before.

After they'd finished the cognac Lance had laid her back down on the rug and slowly licked every part of her body. He teased her core with his tongue, which caused sensations she'd never had before. When she thought she couldn't take it anymore, he had entered her very slowly and almost brought her to climax. She had been all set to release, but he had stopped and pulled out of her, leaving her panting with desire. Lance then spent the next couple of hours repeating that trick, until finally, she thought it was about 3:00am he stayed in her, and she came with mind blowing force and loud screams.

Allie went to look at the clock now as she tried to sit up, and realized how sore and tired she was. It wasn't quite like the first time they'd made love, but she was tender. The clock said it was almost 11:00am, and she realized that she was hungry, and Lance wasn't in bed with her.

She managed to make it to the bathroom, and then put on one of the robes the hotel provided, hers being a soft pink cotton fleece that felt good against her body. She walked into the living room carefully, and then realized that Lance was out on the main terrace. Opening the sliding glass door, she went into the soft outside air.

"Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken I see." Lance declared, admiring the way the pink robe hugged her body, and her gold hair was loose and messy around her shoulders. He stood up and pulled out a chair for her, next to his. She saw coffee, orange juice, and a covered dish of some type in front of her. He had already eaten, but was still drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette and watching a newsfeed on a holoscreen.

"Well considering that Prince Charming kept me up most of the night." Allie said as she reached over and gave him a light kiss. She then poured herself come coffee, and looked at what was under the covered dish. It was some kind of egg Florentine dish with a rich hollandaise sauce, which looked delicious.

"I think you would agree it was well worth it though, right?" Lance asked giving her a mischievous grin, which caused her to laugh in agreement.

"The food looks good; mind you not something I would normally eat for breakfast, but since I never got to finish my dinner last night." Allie told him with a wink. Lance pointed out to her that it was entirely her fault, which she had to concede was true.

"I guess that is why Nanny told me never to play with my food." She told him with a delighted smile, which made him throw back his head and laugh.

It was almost a week later, and their second to last day in Paris. The wine country had been incredible, and Allura was sure by now that no one could do red wine, cheese, and fresh baked bread like the French. After the mini-trip, when they returned to Paris they had finally gotten to the gardens at the Tuileries, as well as some shopping.

"What are we doing today Lance? I want to do something special since it is our last full day here." Allie told him, as they finished breakfast. They were sitting out on the main terrace, with its view of the Eiffel Tower.

"I have a very special day planned, Sugar." Lance told her with a very wicked grin on his face. She asked for clarification of what he had in mind.

"We are going to go spend some time in that lovely, large shower soaping each other up; and doing other things too. Then we are having lunch at Entre les Vignes, a restaurant by the Gare de Lyon. Then we are going to go shopping."

"I like the shower idea, and the restaurant sounds wonderful, but I really don't need to do anymore shopping." Allie said, feeling like she had helped the economy enough. She also didn't want to spend her last day in a store.

"Not just any shopping, Darling. You still need some proper underwear, not to mention needing to replace that black lace thong you borrowed from Larmina." Lance said as he leered at her, and she turned a little pink when she thought about the night on the terrace. Lance had ended up tearing the lace to get it off of her.

"Oh god, that is right. Whatever am I going to say to her?" Allie looked worried, not wanting to go into details with anyone, let alone her niece.

"Get a replacement, take the tags off, and give it to her when you give her the dress back. Trust me, even if she notices, she won't say anything." Lance told her with a smirk, and then took her hand and led her into the bathroom.

Entre les Vignes was a small bistro, all wood, cranberry, and cream. The waitress very knowledgably recommended an aperitif of Lapeyre moelleux, which was a sweet white wine from the Jurancon region in southwestern France. She also brought out a plate of thin slices of chorizo. For lunch Lance ordered a vegetable tart with a duo of fish in sauce; whitefish in a brown sauce, and salmon in a cream sauce. He also ordered a dry rose wine, Pic Saint-Loup Rose, from Chateau de Lancyre. Allura was stuffed by then, but Lance insisted they split a sorbet of cassis, which was excellent.

"Lance, I am so full! It was so good, but now can't we just go back to the hotel and take a nap?" She asked, but he shook his head.

"Here, have this, and then we are going to the St. Germain district." Lance had ordered espresso for them, and she had to admit it did help. While she finished her espresso he told her about the history of the St. Germain district.

Vannina Vesperini boutique was in the middle of the Rue de Tournon, a street with each store front having a different façade than its neighbor. The store was framed by black ionic columns with a black pediment top. The windows were brilliantly lit, the lingerie displayed glowed like jewels against a white background. Anyone walking past the window knew exactly what type of store it was.

Allie had been a little apprehensive at the whole idea of having Lance along while shopping for underwear; it just seemed very public to her. The wine at lunch had relaxed her, but now that they were in front of the store, with its black façade and skimpy teddies in the window, she started to feel it again.

"Lance, aren't they going to think it is weird that you are shopping with me? It is so public?" She stood in front of one of the windows, her eyes very wide. Allie had been married for over two weeks now, and had no problem doing anything Lance suggested in private, but this was different. He saw how she was looking, and realized what was going through her mind.

"Darling, this kind of store understands that if I'm going to see your lingerie, and take it off of you, I should help pick it out!" Lance told her, putting his hand on her back, as he talked in a low voice in her ear. He then nuzzled against it, lightly kissing her neck right under the lobe. Allie melted against him, suddenly feeling rather excited at the idea of shopping with Lance.

Unbeknownst to them, a Belgium tourist was snapping pictures of the historic architecture of the district. He especially liked the mélange of store fronts on the Rue de Tournon. It would be over a week before he got back to Liege, and took a closer look at his pictures.

Lance and Allie went into the store, and she was impressed with how beautiful it was. The lingerie was displayed in frames, and the air smelled like roses. There were several other women in the store, but the manager came up and greeted them right away. Allie had assumed that she would browse the racks, but the manager ushered them upstairs, into a private salon.

It was all pink and grey, with several French gilt arm chairs. They sat down, and a sales clerk brought flutes of champagne for them. She then asked Allie and Lance what colors they liked, then excused herself.

"What is going on Lance?" Allie asked, putting her hand on her husband's arm. He looked at her, and saw concern in her eyes. He loved how she was, in spite of being physically passionate, still in awe of what they had together. He had never had a relationship like this before, totally consuming on a physical, mental, and emotional level.

"She is going to bring various selections up here, and then if we like them, we'll go into the dressing room, and you can try them on." Lance told her, indicating with his eyes the elaborate painted door that was off to the side.

"You come into the dressing room with me?" Allie asked, surprised. The thought of trying underwear on for Lance, outside of their private quarters, seemed very invasive. She managed to relax some when she saw his brown eyes looking at her with love.

Lance put his arm around her and said "Sugar, of course! I want to see it on you before I buy it!" He pulled her close as he said it, lightly kissing her.

The sales clerk returned just then with several different pieces, and Allie couldn't believe how beautiful they all were. The silks were soft, in either vibrant colors or beautiful pastels, and the clerk made it a point to tell her that all the lavish lace trim was made in France.

"I've never seen anything like them! Would you have any nightgowns and bathrobes like these?" She asked, gently stroking the garments. Lance looked at her with love, and decided that he was going to buy her anything she wanted. Even a nightgown that she would barely have on for ten minutes.

They made their selections, and then went into the dressing room, which turned out to be good sized. It was decorated like one of the rooms at Versailles, with blue brocade, painted wood, and gilt trim. Three of the four walls were mirrors, and the fourth wall had a Bouchard type painting on it, and a padded bench covered in pale blue satin.

Lance sat on the bench, and stretched his long legs out, as he looked at her with a teasing grin. "Darling, I think this is going to be some show!" He declared, and then added "You do of course realize that when we are done here we will be going right back to the hotel, right?"

She saw the look in his eyes, and privately hoped they would make it back to the hotel. She put on a bra and panty set made from red satin and lace. The under cups of the bra were red satin, while the tops were scalloped red lace. The panties had a triangle of red satin over her crotch, red satin straps around her hips, but the piece covering her buttocks was all the red scalloped lace. Lance spent a lot of time helping her with the hooks, and adjusting the straps.

"Lance, are we going to spend all afternoon here?" She asked him with a teasing grin; as she bent down to allow him a better view of the lace on the bra.

He let his fingers feel the red lace on the top of the bra, and then said "Just until you have enough stuff, or I can't take it anymore." From the way he was sitting Allie could already see his manhood bulging, and she decided she had better be quick in picking things out.

In addition to several more bra and panty sets for her, she got some teddies, some thongs, and an amazing red silk and lace negligee and robe set. Lance tried to talk her into some corsets, and then laughed when she explained that she had some already, because of her court dresses. He got very excited when she told him about the crotchless bloomers she wore with the corsets.

"Darling, who knew all this time that you had sexy underwear on, under that heavy dress!" Lance declared with a laugh, picturing the crotchless bloomers.

She found a similar black thong for Larmina, to replace the other one, as well as a lavender and turquoise bra and panty set. The panties were lavender satin trimmed with turquoise lace, while the bra had a lavender satin back, and turquoise lace cups. Allie thought the colors would look great on Larmina, and Lance added that Pidge would like it too.

"Sugar, try this on, please?" Lance asked with his puppy dog eyes, as he handed her a body suit that was made of fine black lace. She was ready to go back to the hotel, being wound up, from all the caressing of her body that Lance had done. She found it very arousing that he sat there, all proper in his beautiful blue suit, white shirt, and blue and purple tie, as she was in her underwear. He made lots of minute adjustments, mostly so that he could touch her skin.

"Just because you make those puppy dog eyes at me, Dear." Allie told him, and put the body suit on. It was cut high on her thigh; the lace covered her body, and showed it off at the same time. She was shocked to see that the crotch had a small satin bow keeping it shut.

She modeled it for him, and then he had her stand in front of him, between his legs. "Sugar, I love black lace on you." He drawled, as his hands moved from her sides to cup her breasts. She had to bite her lip to stifle the moan as he caressed them.

"Lance, please, someone might hear." Allie managed to whisper before she had to bite her lip again as he started stroking her nipples, each one covered by a lace rose. He grinned at her, enjoying how aroused she looked.

"Darling, I think you are getting a little excited. You need to remember that you are royal and must behave in public." He drawled, as she put her hands on his shoulders, gripping tight as a wave of desire hit her core. She was pretty sure that she had never had to bite her lip as hard she was. Lance had her nipples hard and erect, making the lace roses stand out from the rest of the lace.

He moved his hands down to the outside of her thighs, and Allie managed to catch her breath. She looked at Lance all set to say something when one of his hands started stroking her inner thigh.

"Uhh, ahh." Allie said, before she bit her lip to stifle the gasp as he let his fingers brush against her crotch.

"Darling, you've gotten this all wet." Lance said with a sigh, and he kept on stroking the area. "I guess we will just have to buy this one too." By now she was pressing against his hand, gripping his shoulders, and trying to keep quiet.

"Allie, why would you be all wet and hot? You know I can't fuck you here, right?" Lance asked in a very calm, soft voice, his drawl quite pronounced. She was sure that this was the worst torture ever, to be this aroused, and not be able to respond. She managed to nod her head, but wondering how much longer she could control herself.

Lance had her all lathered up anyway, and then he pulled the bow and opened up the bodysuit. His fingers worked their way against her, and he found her nub with no problem. The minute he made contact she jerked against him, barely stopping the yelp she was going to make, and he got a satisfied grin on his face.

"See Sugar, I know exactly where your magic spot is, and I like what you do when I touch it." Lance voice's was barely a whisper, as his finger moved against the nub.

"Lance please, I can't, I mean I don't know how much." Allie's words were cut off as she felt one of his fingers enter her, while the other one was still playing with her nub. She buried her head in his shoulder to stifle her moan that she couldn't contain anymore.

"Queen Allura, what would your Nanny say, carrying on like this in public?" Lance asked her, as she moved against his hand, wanting so much more.

He slid another finger into her, asking "You really want my cock don't you, Darling?" She was almost ready to cry, being aroused, and beyond carrying about anything besides satisfying the ache in her core. By now she had her arms around his shoulders, and her head buried against his collar and tie. He felt her nod her head, as she stifled another gasp.

Lance was enjoying the state she was in; loving that only he got to see her like this. He moved his finger against her nub in a slightly different way as he let his other fingers thrust deep inside her. Allie's body claimed the release it wanted so badly, and she bit hard on Lance's tie to muffle her cry of satisfaction.

When it was done she collapsed against Lance, her eyes slightly unfocused, and her mouth open. Lance held her and stroked her hair until she collected herself. The black lace clung to her body with a light sheen of moisture, from her exertion. Allie looked at him, a pleased grin on his face, and realized he had planned the whole thing.

"Lance McClain, when we get back to the hotel you are so going to pay for this!" Allie hissed at him, and was dismayed when he got a sly grin, and a hungry look in his eye.

"I was hoping you would say something like that, Darling. And, I think you ruined my tie!" He drawled, and they both burst out laughing.

The next day they left for South Carolina, to see Lance's family. The estate was just outside of Charleston, and had been in the family since 1750. Lance's family had served their country by providing governors, generals, admirals, and even a president. In spite of the four year affair that started with Ft. Sumter, they were still held in high regard. Lance's father was head of the Galaxy Security Council, while his mother was a distinguished history professor.

When the engagement had been announced, the reporters had shown up in South Carolina but were disappointed to find out that the estate was secure and private. Lance's family and friends maintained a 'no talking to press' rule, because of his Father's job. Allura was looking forward to seeing the estate, and Lance's family.

The house was a beautiful old brick mansion, with lovely grounds. Lance and Allie rode horses every day, and had a good visit with the family. She'd always liked Lance's parents, so she enjoyed the time with them, especially his mother. The family gave one small party while they were there, only inviting other family members, and close friends Lance had known growing up. It was the perfect finish to an incredible month.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Note: I am making a change in the storyline, from where I left it in 'All the Right Moves'. That story ended with Larmina & Pidge's wedding, and Allura having gotten pregnant on her honeymoon. When I wrote that chapter, I had not fully developed 'A Knight's Journey' yet. It turns out that Allura and Lance will play a bigger part than I had thought, in the search for Keith's family. Due to that plot bunny, Allura will not be pregnant any time soon, but it is not ruled out.**_

_**KathDMD: We'll always have Paris!**_

_**E.M. Blaine: Glad that you are caught up.**_

_**Mer3Girl: Thank you for your observations on the characters; I appreciate them.**_

_**Back on Arus**_

It was almost lunch time, and everyone was sitting down at the table in the pilot's mess hall. Hunk looked over at Daniel and Vince's places, thinking about the boys. It had been almost ten days since he, Pidge, and Larmina had gone to the Academy to see the boys. He felt bad for Daniel, but had to agree with Pidge that it was good for the young man's grades.

Hunk had used the pretext of meeting Anissa's brother to call her, and they'd had a nice chat. He'd been able to see her several days ago, when she was at the soccer training complex in a nearby city. The Olympics were still six months away, but she and her team were working very hard. Hunk had enjoyed the time with her, and meeting her teammates.

Several of them had boyfriends or husbands, so he had some other guys to hang out with while she trained. Anissa's oldest brother had shown up on the last day, and Hunk was taken aback that the man knew all about him, from Porter. Hunk soon found out though that the older brother was fine with him seeing his sister. In fact, he wasn't sure if the man was more impressed that Hunk was a lion pilot, or the fact that his cousin played on the earth football team. The older brother was an Olympic athlete too, having won gold medals at the last two Olympics for the Pentathlon, and the favorite to win again.

He had decided that the next time he talked to her; he would ask her about the music festival. It would be fun to have company, and he knew that Larmina liked her. Hunk had seen that she was not some protected little girl, and could figure out Pidge and Larmina's relationship herself. He didn't think it would shock her.

While Hunk was thinking about Anissa, Keith was thinking about his day with Eimear, last week. It had been an easy trip over to the Eastern Dominion, and her estate. He was impressed with how well run, and well cared for it was. It had survived the devastation the Drules had wrecked on the planet, and the main house was a beautiful example of Arusian New Empire architecture.

Keith had enjoyed spending the day with her, and learning about what she'd done with estate. He became aware that she was a very smart businesswoman. Keith found it pleasant to talk with someone who was constantly looking for new ideas, and ways to do things. He had prolonged the day by taking her out to dinner when they got back, and had been able to kiss her good night quite thoroughly too.

The land records had been of some help in his search for anything about his family. Eimear had been right; there had been some other land holdings in the family. One of them had suffered the same fate as the main estate had; having been laid bare by the Drules it was now a thriving new community. The third piece of property though was baffling, as he could not find its location on any map of Arus. It was listed in the land records as having been located in Hugelammeer, but that place didn't seem to exist. He was starting to feel that for every step forward, he took two back.

"I think we are in time for lunch!" Lance's voice boomed from the doorway, and everyone turned to him and Allura there. Larmina jumped up, screamed loudly, and launched herself at her Aunt, giving her a big hug. Allura returned it with equal fervor, as they said hello. Lance was busy saying hello to the guys, and Keith was glad to see his friend back at the Castle. He had missed his company more than he thought he would of.

Keith looked at Allura and was blown away by how beautiful and sophisticated she looked. She had on a suit woven with brown, white, and black in a nubbly fabric. The jacket was tailored to her waist, with black fringe trim on the collar, and ¾ sleeves. The jacket's fastenings were like mini black pompoms, echoing the black fringe. It set off her blond hair and blue eyes, which were sparkling with love. Keith looked at Lance in his well tailored suit, and thought that they made the perfect couple.

"OMG, is that Chanel? Where did you get those shoes from?" Larmina's voice was several decibels higher than usual as she stepped back to admire her Aunt. The shoes were heeled pumps in smooth brown leather, accented with black suede. Keith was trying to think if he had ever seen Allura in heels before.

"Yes, it is! And the shoes are from Bally. The shopping was incredible, and I got stuff for you too!" Allura told her niece happily, who beamed. Hunk was in shock to see Larmina oohing and ahhing over clothes, and then he remembered the black dress she'd worn on Dradin. He started to think that if a kick butt fighter like Larmina was into clothes, Anissa might be too. He took a closer look at what Allura was wearing, figuring that he might need to broaden his horizons some.

Allura hugged everyone, and when she hugged him Keith felt a flare up of the old feelings, but he tamped them down. He figured that eight years worth of emotion was not going to go away overnight, especially when the woman had never looked better. Keith realized part of it was that Allura looked like a woman now, a woman in love.

Over lunch they caught up on the Castle's happenings, and talked about their trip. Keith privately thought the Paris part sounded too extravagant and over the top, but he could tell that Allura had enjoyed it. He knew he would never have done something like that, and then started wondering what Eimear would have thought of it. They all knew Lance's family, so he caught them up on what his parents had been doing. Allura told them about being able to ride every day, and how beautiful the house was.

"I want to hear how Daniel and Vince are doing, at the Academy." Allura asked, after they finished eating.

"Daniel is studying and going to chapel every day, while Vince is playing poker and drinking whiskey, working on being the next Lance." Pidge announced, which had Allura and Lance looking at him in shock.

"Pidge, don't you mean it the other way around?" Lance asked, not fathoming what he was hearing.

Hunk laughed and said "Oh, no he doesn't! You should have seen him and his roommates flirt with Larmina."

"That Viscount is over the top, and no honey, I don't care that his Dad roomed with your Dad at the Academy." Pidge said, looking cross. Hunk proceeded to tell them about Monk, Biff, and Porter, as well as Daniel's two roommates.

"Don't mind him, he's just grumpy because a ten year old duke hit on Larmina, and then the entire military academy is in love with her." Hunk said, laughing again. Allura asked about the ten year old duke, and found out that it was Eimear's son.

"Keith, I'm glad that you had him come to visit, I'm sure he enjoyed it." Allura said, smiling, glad that he was still seeing Eimear. She honestly liked the woman, and she also wanted Keith kept busy and not prying into her and Lance's life. Lance took pleasure in giving Pidge a hard time about all the guys after Larmina, with Hunk egging him on.

"Larmina, the marksmanship trials are next week at the Academy, and since they are competing for your Father's trophy, I was going to have you go up, to represent me." Allura said to niece, but before Larmina could respond, Pidge got there first.

"I said it before, I don't care if the damn cadet shoots down Lotor, she is not kissing anyone but me!" He announced in a firm tone, glaring at everyone. Hunk explained what Vince had said, about the trophy.

"Aunt Allura, honestly, I would rather not go. I felt like a piece of meat there, with the way those boys stared at me. Daniel was the only one who was nice about it, and I have to agree with Pidge about Monk. Vince has really changed since he's been there." Larmina said, and Allura saw her point. She also had seen Pidge's reaction to the whole thing, so she told Larmina that she and Lance would go to the Academy.

"I have to say I'm eager to meet this Monk, and see what has happened with Vince. And Daniel studying and going to chapel? Is there something in the water up there?" Lance laughed, giving Allie a fond look.

They were startled by Pidge jumping up and announcing "The water, of course it would be the water. He grows it hydroponically, so it is either the water, or what he is adding to the water." Everyone looked at him like he was talking a foreign language. Pidge explained about the haggerium research that he'd been doing, but didn't say it was cannabis, just called it an herb. He didn't want to get Daniel or the gardener into trouble.

"I want to go upstairs, unpack, and see the room." Allura announced, looking at Lance as she stood up. He stood up also, and put his hand on her back as he stood close to her.

"I do hope you like it, Aunt Allura. It was fun to do." Larmina said smiling, as she exchanged a look with Lance. Allura didn't see it, but Keith did and he wondered what it was about.

"Larmina's mystery project! She wouldn't let any of us see what she was doing." Hunk said, having been surprised at how she had acted.

"Bedrooms are private, Hunk. You wouldn't want everyone to know what your bedroom is like, would you?" Larmina asked indigently.

Pidge saw his chance to get back at his friend for all that teasing about the academy boys. "I bet he'd like the wondrous Sissi to see it!" He said in pleased tones. Lance and Allura looked at Hunk with interest.

"You remember Anissa that he took to the ball, right? Anyway, one of her brothers is one of Vince's roommates. All the boys in the family call her Sissi, and it seems she likes Hunk a lot. He's been to see her train, and met another brother too." Pidge explained with a big grin on his face, enjoying Hunk's squirming. Hunk was now regretting having teased Pidge about Larmina's admirers.

"Hunk, maybe you could get Larmina to redo your room, now that she has done ours. You will want to impress the wondrous Sissi after all." Lance laughed as Hunk turned bright red. The teasing continued, while Keith looked on. He found it interesting that Larmina was into redecorating, and before he could stop himself he started wondering what Lance and Allura's room looked like.

"Honestly, you all are too much. Leave poor Hunk alone, ok?" Allura announced, and then smiled at Lance. They excused themselves and went upstairs, Lance's hand on her back the entire time. Keith watched them go, understanding why but feeling bad that he didn't get to spend more time talking with Lance. He remembered his thought from the ball that their friendship had changed. He consoled himself that he would catch up with Lance later, and he needed to figure out some way to find out about the cigarette case without putting up Lance's, or Allura's, back.

They stopped to say hello to Coran, who wanted to get her working right away, but Allura said she needed to change first. Coran was glad to have her back, but knew the break had been good for her. Everyone would have to get used to the changes that were going happen, now that Allura was married.

"Lance, I am so excited to see what it is like! And just the idea that it is our room." Allie looked up at him with a smile, and Lance smiled too, before he kissed her deep and hard. She put her arms around his neck, as her tongue dueled with his. When they broke it off she nuzzled against his neck, loving being held by him. Then they opened the door and walked into the room, and just stared at it.

The room was large, rectangular, and sunny that sat at the edge of the Castle. Along the outer wall was a row of tall French panel windows that offered a view of the lake. At one of the narrow ends of the room was a sitting area that had French doors that opened to a balcony overlooking the lake.

On the floor was an oriental style rug done in cream, soft olive green, soft blue, with designs in brown, gold, and a darker green. The drapes and the bedding all picked up those colors, giving the room a soft comforting feel. The walls were painted in the same soft olive green, and decorated with plasterwork that echoed the design in the rug. The furniture was pale, painted wood, with curves and minimal carving.

Allura was walking across the room, to go look out the balcony, but she stopped when she saw what was in the sitting room part. "Lance, how did you do it? This is the chaise from Versailles!" Allie was speechless, and Lance came up and gave her a big hug.

"Actually it is a copy, but a good one. I took pictures of the original, and asked Larmina to match it. I just figured that you liked the original so much, and all." Lance said with a smirk, and Allie remembered what they'd done that day. She was all set to say something, but there was a knock at the door, and Lance walked over to open it.

"Dorcas, you knocked!" Lance said, as he saw the woman standing in the door. He held it open so she could come inside.

"Your Highness, you're married." Dorcas gave it right back at him. Lance had been created Prince Consort on the wedding day. The woman smiled at Lance, and then walked over and hugged Allura, admiring her clothes.

"Dorcas, I'm not ready to unpack yet, because I need to sort some stuff first. I'll call you when I'm ready." Allura told the woman with a smile. She nodded and excused herself, closing the door behind her. Dorcas wanted to laugh as she walked down the hall, knowing exactly what Her Majesty wanted to do, and it didn't involve sorting anything.

"Sugar, now why did you get rid of Dorcas like that? Here she was all set to help you unpack your new clothes, and all." Lance said, as he put his arms around her, his voice low and soft.

"I just thought we should see if the experience is the same on this chaise lounge, as it was on the other one." Allie purred, as she moved against him. He growled as she did so, and then started kissing her, while pushing her down on the chaise.

It was a week later, and Allura and Lance were arriving back at the Castle, after having been at Kressano Selo for the marksmanship trials. It had been hot and humid all day, and while she'd had her hat for some shade, Lance was stuck in his full dress uniform.

"I have to say that I didn't believe what Pidge and Hunk said about Vince before, but I do now. Pidge was also right about Viscount Lindsay being over the top." Lance said, shaking his head in wonderment. He was starting to think that the cure for Vince might be worse than what the problem had been.

"Well Larmina will be pleased to hear that no one has beaten her Father's record, but that Daniel came closest to it." Allura announced, as the hovercar came to a stop.

"Darling, after this day, I want a martini and a cigarette." Lance said, wanting to get his jacket off.

She giggled and said "Your wish will be granted Dear. I sent a message ahead for Higgins to set the drinks cart out on the dining room balcony, along with some snacks." Lance gave an approving look, and they headed upstairs.

Higgins was waiting for them by the dining room, and they walked out to the balcony. He left a plate with crackers, cheese, and some other appetizers. Allura took off her big hat with the feathers, and sitting down in one of the chairs, kicked her shoes off, and put her feet up on the chair opposite her. Lance took his jacket off, removed his lion badge, and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. He then mixed their drinks, and brought them over to the table, sitting down next to her.

"I do like that Ciroc vodka in the martinis, Lance." Allie said, as she took another sip. She took a deep breath, and relaxed while admiring the view of the lake. Lance had taken out his case, and was just lighting a cigarette with his gold lighter when a holoscreen popped up, with an incoming video request. She looked to see who it was, and inwardly groaned.

"Keith." Allie said, as Lance gave her a 'really?' look, exhaling a stream of smoke. He put his cigarette down in the ash tray, moving it out of the line of sight of the holoscreen. Allie smiled at him sympathetically, putting her hand on his leg as he went to answer it.

"Do you think I could take a message?" Lance said with a grimace, before he tapped the screen to accept the message.

"Lance, hello. Am I catching you at a bad time?" Keith asked, and watched as Lance shook his head.

"No, Allie and I were just relaxing after a thrilling day of watching marksmanship trials. You will be glad to know that Daniel did New West Point proud, shooting better than any other cadet. He almost won the trophy too, but so far Prince Andrei's record is intact." Lance told Keith, wondering what the man wanted.

"Listen we got in a bunch of stuff from GA headquarters that we need to get on top of. Would you happen to have half an hour or so, to go over it? I can come up there if it would be easier." Keith offered, and added a hello to Allura. She showed herself for a minute, waved, and then sat back. Lance looked over at her, and she mouthed 'not up here' to Lance.

"That's all right Keith; I'll come down, but give me fifteen minutes or so, ok?" Lance said, and Keith nodded, signing off. He picked up his cigarette and inhaled, and then looked at Allie.

"You didn't want to invite Keith up for drinks?" Lance asked with a teasing smile, as he exhaled.

"Lance, we have so little privacy as it is, and I like the idea that the space up here is ours, that's all." She explained, taking a sip of her drink.

"I don't mind Sugar, not in the least. I was just curious, and quite frankly I don't want any of his stern looks about this." Lance said, slightly raising his hand that was holding the cigarette.

"Lance, what do you mean looks? I think he is more into lectures." Allie said in a tight voice.

"He isn't doing that anymore, trust me. The last time he did I really let him have it, and he hasn't said anything since." Lance told her, looking annoyed as he thought about that encounter. He took another drag on his cigarette as he did so.

"When was that?" Allie asked, interested.

"Let me think, it was, you know, it was before you told him about us, I know that. Listen, let's sit here and finish our drinks, chat, and admire the lake. I'm not interested in discussing Keith anymore." Lance announced, and she smiled at him happily. She and Lance compared notes on what they'd seen at the Academy, and what the boys had said.

Lance finished his cigarette, they finished their drinks, and then he left to go see Keith. He kissed her goodbye, but promised to do a lot more when he came back. Before he went downstairs he stopped by the bathroom, to brush his teeth and wash his hands. Things had been good with Keith again, and Lance wanted to keep it that way.

After Lance left, Allura looked pensively across the lake. She had not told Lance about what had happened at the ball, knowing what his reaction would have been. Allura could still see the shock on Keith's face when he'd seen the case in her purse. Keith should not have been looking in her purse, and she didn't want him in her private quarters, looking where he didn't need to. She'd been relieved when Lance had not questioned her further about not wanting Keith upstairs. Allura looked at the lake again, and decided that Keith was going to stay out of the living quarters.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Author's Note: The inspiration for the cigarette case, and its maker, is Peter Carl Faberge. For those of you who don't know, he was the legendary jeweler to the Russian royal family. In addition to the Easter eggs he is best known for, he also developed an enamel process that was not equaled until much later in the twentieth century. If you Google 'Faberge cigarette cases' you will see many incredible examples of his work.**_

_**KathDMD: Glad you liked the last chapter, and Hunk & Sissi; this one has a little more.**_

_**The Case & The Gardener**_

Keith was in the control room, working on a holoscreen, along with Pidge, Hunk, and Larmina. Pidge had several screens up with various chemical equations on them, while Hunk and Larmina were analyzing data from a flight to the southern quadrant of the galaxy.

"Well look who is back from the swamp! Did the bug repellent help?" Pidge asked, as Lance came into the control room. He was still in his dress pants and his white shirt with its neck open.

"Yea, well if you and the pin up girl had gone there like you were supposed to, I would not have had to." Lance declared to the room. He looked at Larmina and smiled evilly as he added "Just so you know Viscount Lindsay sends his regards."

Larmina made a hateful face, and tossed her head as she said "Pin up girl indeed!" Lance laughed at that, and then told her that Daniel had almost beaten her Father's record. She said that she would send him congratulations tonight.

"I will be happy to send the Viscount something, but it is not my regards!" Pidge said darkly, as he scowled.

Keith was starting to think that he needed to go to the Academy, just to meet Monk. He then put that thought out of his mind, and waited for Lance to come over. It had been a week since he'd been back, but Keith had had very little time with him. He'd also not been able to introduce the subject of his family's crest into the general conversation.

He had purposely timed his call to Lance, hoping that he would be invited upstairs. Keith figured that if the case was out, he could comment on the crest, but that plan had been dashed. He knew that he could not just ask outright about the case, because then he would have to tell Lance how he saw it in the first place. As much as Keith didn't like Lance smoking, he was starting to be sorry that he'd nagged him about it as much as he had. A whole avenue of discovery could potentially be closed off to him.

"So what have the assholes at GA stuck us with now?" Lance asked, walking over to Keith's holoscreen. They spent the next fifteen minutes reviewing everything, and coming up with ways to implement the new measures. Keith was standing next to Lance, and could just barely smell some smoke on him, so he knew that Lance had been smoking before he came down. He thought again about how he didn't like Lance smoking around Allura, but obviously she didn't care, and didn't mind either. Keith sighed, but bit his tongue, concentrating on how nice it was to have Lance working alongside him.

Upstairs, Allura helped herself to the rest of the martini in the shaker, and ate some of the appetizers. She looked at the table, and saw Lance's case there, with the neatly colored fox and the three pronged leaf. She picked it up, and studied it for a bit, then decided to satisfy her curiosity about something.

Allura left the dining room balcony, and going over to the bedroom, went to the large closet attached to the room. In one of the drawers she took out an elaborately carved box that she kept special mementos in. She found what she was looking for, and taking it went back to the dining room balcony. After sitting down, she looked at the object she held.

Her Father's cigarette case was dark blue enamel, in a gold frame, with a gold lion holding aloft the arms of the royal house. The inlay of the gold, and other colors, along with some tiny jeweled accents made it a lovely piece. Jean Piel Clouthier had been both a jeweler and a scientist with his work. The enamel process he came up with was more durable, and known for its brilliant colors.

She carefully examined the work, and the weight, of her Father's case, comparing it to Lance's. They were identical to each other, and she was sure they were probably made around the same time. Clouthier had been killed in a Drule attack that also completely wiped out his workshop and store. Even by then though he wasn't making the kind of quality of stuff he had before, due to shortages for the war.

Allura thought about when her Father had gotten his case, probably when she was around ten. It stuck in her memory because of how they had to write their names so they could be engraved on the inside. There was special paper, and ink, and somehow what they wrote ended up engraved in their handwriting, on the gold inside.

Carefully opening the case, she saw her name in its childish scrawl, along with Eammon and Andrei's names too. It made her sad for a moment, as she thought about her brothers and what life had been like with her family. She also remembered that Andrei had a case from Jean Piel Clouthier that their parents had given him when he married. Larmina had it now, along with other items that had belonged to her Father. Her other Brother, Eammon, didn't smoke as she recalled.

Thinking about the writing in her Father's case made her recall that Lance's case had writing in it too. She opened it up, and saw that the topside was full of cigarettes. She carefully undid the gold horizontal bar, and gently removed the cigarettes, smelling the tobacco as she did so. Allura saw a small diagram in the corner, as well as the writing now, in a language she didn't recognize, which meant something.

As a royal princess she was fluent in quite a few languages, and knew several different alphabet systems. Since she wasn't recognizing this one, it was either very old, or from a small planet that had been destroyed by the Drules. Because the case was made around the same time as her Father's she ruled out an old language as the source.

That would have been preferable to trying to figure out which planet the language was from. The Drules had laid waste to so many systems, haphazardly destroying planets as they did so. Allura knew though that most languages derive from common sources, so maybe she could get Pidge to see if he could come up with anything. It would be neat to know the history of the case, and what the inscription said. She brought up a holoscreen, and launched a scanner on the screen. Allura carefully held the case up, letting the system scan the inside lid.

"Darling, are you x-raying my case?" Lance asked, coming out on the balcony, and added "Do you want me to mix up another round?" She smiled at him, so happy to have him back. He looked so sexy with his tousled hair and slightly open shirt.

"Yes, to another round of drinks, but no to the x-ray." Allie said, and went on to explain what she was doing, showing him her Father's case at the same time.

"Wow, I thought my case was something, but this is even nicer." He said examining it, and then he opened it up and saw her name there. Lance looked over at her, and knew that this represented a time in her life when she didn't yet know war and loss.

"Darling, I'm sorry I never got to meet your Brothers." Lance told her, putting his arms around her as she buried her nose in the open collar of his shirt. His skin smelled so good, and very masculine, making her nuzzle against him as she inhaled deeper.

Lance felt her nuzzling, and how she was pressing closer to him. He suddenly wasn't interested in another round of drinks, and knew that she wanted to be held more than anything else. There was a rug on the balcony, and he had her out of the chair before she realized what was happening. He pulled her down to the rug, and started kissing her very slowly.

He made love to her very tenderly, and when she came she saw a star shoot across the dark blue sky that the sun had just set on. Allie didn't make a wish for her, but rather for Lance, that she would always make him happy. When they were done, he held her while she told him stories about her childhood.

Afterwards, they decided to go to their bedroom and take a shower together. Allie picked up her Father's case, and watch Lance put the cigarettes back in his. She shut down the holoscreen, figuring that she would work on the mystery another time. Lance took her hand and led her to their room.

It was the next day when Hunk and Pidge presented themselves at the arrival gate for the Galaxy Alliance base. In addition to the offices, there were quarters for the officers, as well as a social club and a store that carried items from earth. It was designed to be a microcosm of earth, to make being assigned to another planet easier.

"Pidge, I still don't get why we are doing this." Hunk asked, as they made their way over to Admiral Hutchinson's quarters. Pidge had told Hunk all about the gardener, his illegal crop, and Daniel's observation about the effect it had on the haggerium in his system.

"Do you remember last week, when I had you sample the tomatoes and strawberries?" Pidge asked his friend.

"Sure I do! You had two different kinds of each, and I could tell the difference in how they tasted." Hunk said, with a pleased smile. It had been the most pleasant experiment that Pidge had ever had him help with.

"Lance's comment about the water got me thinking. The strawberries and tomatoes I got from our friend here had the same altered chemical markers as the cannabis did. I also remembered Daniel making the comment that the Admiral brags about how good the fruits and vegetables, that his son grows, always taste. There is something either in the water, or being added to it, to make that happen. We need to find out what it is." Pidge explained to Hunk, as they drove across the base.

"But Pidge, how do you know that it is just not any cannabis that would cause the effect that Daniel felt?" Hunk asked, wondering why Pidge was so sure it was the water that was doing the trick.

Pidge sighed and said "I had Daniel get some regular marijuana, and smoke it. I wanted him to compare the effects to the stuff from the gardener." Hunk looked shocked at what Pidge had just revealed.

"When the hell did you do that?" He asked Pidge, who got a sheepish look on his face.

"Before the boys left for the Academy, do you remember the day that Larmina got you to take her and Vince out to the Hunkyard?" Pidge asked, wishing that Hunk had not brought the subject up. Hunk nodded his head, as he thought about that.

"I had Larmina get you two out of the Castle, so I could run my experiment." Pidge confessed, and Hunk looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You brought Larmina into this, but not me?" Hunk was hurt that his friend didn't trust him, and he looked out the window, trying to control his feelings. He felt Pidge pull the hovercar over to the side of the road, and then stop it.

"Hunk, what we were doing was illegal, and I didn't want you involved in it! Just so you know Vince did not know anything about it either. If any of us got caught, it would mean the end of our careers! I wasn't going to expose you to that risk, and I know Vince's feelings about drugs. Larmina is protected, because of who she is. At the end of the day, I was the one taking the risk; well me and Daniel, but if I don't cure him his life is done." Pidge explained sadly, as he reached over and put his hand on Hunk's arm.

He looked at his friend, and thought about everything that had happened in the last six months between them. There were times that he felt like he didn't know his little buddy at all, what with DJ Prong, Larmina, and now this. Hunk had been feeling lonely lately, and this made him feel even lonelier. Pidge had Larmina who was there for him, no matter what, someone that he shared everything with. His shoulders sagged, and he continued looking out the window.

"Would you say something please? Even that you hate me? I really thought I was doing the right thing, protecting you from the possibility of arrest." Pidge tried explaining, and Hunk heard the anguish in his voice.

Hunk turned to look at Pidge, narrowing his eyes as he asked "That is really all that it was? Because what you were doing was illegal? And not because you didn't trust me?"

"Hunk, I would trust you with my life! And at the end of the day, did you really want to know that I was letting Daniel smoke pot?" Pidge asked indigently, being surprised at his friend's thought processes.

Hunk gave that some thought, and saw the humor in what Pidge had said. He started laughing, which made Pidge laugh too. He asked Pidge "Where did you conduct this little experiment, if I may ask? I don't see how you could get away with lighting a joint in the Castle. They do have a certain smell, you know."

"You know the little walled garden, off of the hanger bay, where Lance goes to smoke? I figured it was perfect for that purpose." Pidge told Hunk, who agreed that it was the best spot. He also added that Pidge was lucky that Lance was gone on his honeymoon, so he wouldn't be interrupted.

"Pidge, why didn't you bring Larmina with you today, instead of me?" Hunk asked, as the thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Several reasons, Hunk. I don't want our friend getting spooked by showing up with a member of the royal family, but the main reason is that we haven't done anything together, just us, for a while. I thought that when we were done with our friend, we could go to the officer's club and have lunch." Pidge told him with a smile. Hunk cheered up at that thought, remembering the big buffet the club always did at lunch.

"But what is Larmina doing while we are here?" Hunk asked, out of curiosity.

"She said that she was going to spend some time with Keith, as he seems to be at loose ends a lot of the time. Larmina thinks he is rather lonely, now that Lance is married." Pidge explained to his friend.

"I thought Keith was seeing the duke's mother, you know, Eimear?" Hunk asked, thinking about the beautiful but formal blond woman that Keith had brought to the ball.

"According to Larmina, she thinks that Keith is going end up in the same place with Eimear that he did with Allura." Pidge said, as he had to stop the car, to allow for some construction in the road. Hunk asked him to explain what that meant.

"Larmina says that Keith is too scarred emotionally to have a real relationship. She figures that Eimear is going to get tired of waiting for Keith to get to the point." Pidge explained, smiling as he pictured Larmina, in her underwear, telling it to him. He had to agree with her too, having watched the man in action, or lack thereof.

"Pidge, what is it like to be in love? I mean to have someone you share everything with?" Hunk asked, in a solemn voice. Pidge looked over at his friend, and saw the loneliness in his eyes.

"It is wonderful, and like nothing else in the world, big guy! Don't worry, your time will come. Aren't you taking the wondrous Sissi to the music festival with us?" Pidge said, wanting to cheer him up. He added that Sissi liked him a lot, and her brothers liked him too.

"She is wondrous Pidge; I've never met anyone like her before. But I think she is rather out of my league; did you know her grandfather is a duke?" Hunk had picked up that nugget of information from the older brother.

"You are a lion pilot, Hunk! And look at Lance and me, who we ended up with. At the end of the day, it is heart and talent that count, not some title." Pidge told him, and Hunk cheered up at that thought. They chucked about Lance as Prince Consort, until they got to the Admiral's quarters.

The gardener was a mild young man in his early twenties, who was on sabbatical from New West Point, according to the Admiral's party line. In reality he had been suspended once too often, and even his Father couldn't get him back in. He had really wanted to go to the Science Academy on Perian Sixtus, but his Father thought that only a military education counted.

Pidge had been careful to pick a time when he knew the Admiral and his wife would be out of the house. The twins were at the day school that they attended, in the capital city. Edmund, the gardener, greeted them happily when they arrived. He already thought Pidge was a kindred spirit, and he was ready to welcome Hunk too.

Hunk had to admire how Pidge finally got the gardener to reveal how he was doing it. It started out all friendly, switched to scientific curiosity, and finally the turning of the screw. Hunk had seen Pidge in all sorts of situations, and it came to him that his friend was not someone you would want to cross. When Pidge decided he wanted something, nothing was going to stand in his way.

Hunk wondered if that was part of how his friend had gotten Larmina. Once he had decided he wanted her, nothing, not even their friendship was going to stand in the way. He then thought about Lance and Allura, and how Lance had dealt with her attitude towards Pidge. He went from calling her a cold hearted bitch, to being engaged. Larmina's comment, about Keith with Eimear and Allura popped into his head just then. A light bulb went off above Hunk's head.

"Ok, so I told you that my grandfather was a botanist, right?" Edmund said, and Pidge nodded his head. The young man continued "I was with him the last two months he lived, and he told me everything." It turned out that the man had travelled the galaxy as a GA science officer. In that capacity he collected specimens of the plant life on all the planets he visited.

"There is a gap in his service record of five years, dating from when the ship he was on was attacked by a Drule war cruiser. The reports were unclear, as to whether he was dead, or taking prisoner by the Drules. He turns up five years later, with a story of how he escaped from some Drule prison, yada yada." Edmund told Pidge, taking a sip of tea.

When Hunk and Pidge had shown up, an orderly had brought tea, along with sandwiches and pastries for them. Edmund had recommended the chicken curry on sourdough highly to them. Pidge had been all about the smoked salmon, while they all agreed that the devilled egg was not devilled enough.

Edmund went on to tell them that his grandfather had not been on the ship at all when it was attacked. The ship had been orbiting not Seian Xpo as reported, but was in fact at the Colwemb system, in the neutral zone. He explained that the neutral zone had been a temporary truce area, while the Drules were still making nice until they had gotten to full strength.

The Galaxy Alliance had signed the treaty, hoping that it would stop the Drules. Pidge, as Edmund explained all this, made the offside observation to Hunk that they had never studied earth history, with Chamberlin and Hitler. Edmund's grandfather's ship was there on a clandestine spy mission, disguised as a ship in distress.

The ship was close to a planet that had, according to the scans, fresh greens that could be used to supplement the GA ship's stores. They had been surprised to see the planet there, as it had not appeared on any star charts that had ever been done.

"My grandfather offered to go down and collect the plants, figuring that if he did get caught, his standing as a science officer would prevent any repercussions. While he was down there though, the Drules attacked, and blew the GA ship to smithereens." Edmund told them. He went on to explain that his grandfather was found by natives to the planet, and taken to the capital city.

The planet was in fact peaceful, and intellectual in nature, and Edmund's grandfather was recognized by the Dragoman and his ministers, because of the papers he had published. The man spent five years learning about how they grew things, including the life source magma of the planet. This was a self-replenishing energy source that brought life, or increased life to anything that it touched.

"My grandfather was very happy and would have stayed there forever, I think. However, the Drules attacked one day, and my grandfather understood that it was probably the end of the planet. He hijacked a cruiser, as the planet was being attacked, and fled. He took with him his notes, the star map to the place, and a piece of the magma." Edmund sighed, and excused himself for a minute.

When he came back he presented Pidge with an old style computer disc, and a grey silk bag, tied with a cord of tarnished silver. "The disc contains my grandfather's diary and notes. There is some information about the planet, but unfortunately the star chart he made, of where the planet was located, was lost. Here is the magma from the planet. I put it in the water for twenty-four hours, when the moon is full. Anymore and the plants grow too fast. From what little research I have done, the planet is still not on any maps. I don't know if it survived the attack or not."

"Edmund, your garden needs the magma, so why don't you keep it for now. Do you think we could break a piece off, for me to take?" Pidge asked gently, feeling for the young man who could be doing so much more with his life.

"I don't see why not, let me get a hammer and chisel" Edmund said, and Pidge had his piece of the magma. Edmund wrapped it up in one of his sister's silk scarves, saying there was something about the silk that kept it from getting effected by the energy source. He smiled at Pidge, took the bag back, and offered some of his Dad's Maker's Mark bourbon.

"Do you have any mint, so we could make mint juleps?" Pidge asked with a smile, and Edmund looked happy. They had two rounds of the mint juleps and left, while Edmund decided that maybe he should apply to the science academy after all.

After they left the Admiral's house they went over to the club to have lunch, and catch up on things. Hunk made three trips to the buffet, and they talked about the upcoming music festival. He felt bad that he had doubted Pidge's friendship with him. Hunk also decided that he wasn't going to beat around the bush with Sissi anymore.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Author's Note: A big thank you to KathDMD for editorial help with this chapter. It made all the difference!**_

_**This and That**_

It was the day after Pidge and Hunk's trip to see the gardener, and now Pidge was in the rec room analyzing the scans he had done on the piece of magma. He had meant to stay up late last night to do them, but Larmina had distracted him too well. Snuggling with her was a lot more fun than working in the empty hangar bay.

Everyone else but Allura was there, hanging out and watching the newsfeed on the large screen on the wall. It was covering the football tournament that was going on, with the Earth team still in the running for the final round up.

"Hunk, if Earth makes it all the way, you should take Sissi and her brothers to the game. That would really win points with them." Larmina told him, and he smiled. Pidge had told her about his talk with Hunk, which made her decide she would do everything to facilitate the relationship.

"That would be great, but even my cousin can't get any extra tickets." Hunk replied, as his face fell. Pidge looked at Hunk's crestfallen expression, and decided to make his friend happy.

"Hunk, as you know Stereolatic declined the chance to perform at the music festival, due to a previous commitment. However, I know for a fact that they have been asked to do the halftime show at the final game." Pidge put it out there, and everyone turned to look at him. They knew that he had declined the music festival because he was ready to be done with Stereolatic. Larmina smiled at him with love in her eyes. She knew that he'd wanted to have the group - and DJ Prong - retire.

"As the entertainment for the event, DJ Prong will have a whole stadium box to invite people to." Pidge finished up, thinking that maybe that could be the farewell concert for Stereolatic. It would take away from his research, but his friend was worth it.

"Hunk, there you go! You are all set!" Lance declared, slapping Hunk on the back.

"Well, I'm glad that Hunk is all set, but I'm not!" Allura appeared in the door, looking cross. Keith looked up from his memos, thrilled that she was down here with them. Maybe he could bring up the matter of the family crest now.

"Darling, what's wrong?" Lance asked, as she came over and sat next to him. He put his arm around her, while she brought up a holoscreen.

"I have to give a speech tonight, for the sea merchants' league's dinner, and what the new writer wrote is awful! I have to wonder if he knew what event he was writing for." Allura groaned with a sigh. She added, "Coran hired him while I was gone, and I just don't think it is going to work. And Coran is out right now, so he can't deal with this mess.

Keith watched as Lance rubbed the back of her neck, while he read over the speech. "Good god, what a load of crap!" Lance declared, and then asked Pidge to look it over. As much as Keith didn't want to look at Lance stroking Allura's neck, he couldn't help himself. He was still surprised at how free Lance was in touching her all the time, even in public. Not only did she not mind it, but Keith had noticed that she always moved closer to Lance as he was touching her.

"Oh please, listen to this: T_he Ocean is our link to the past where we touched the glory of the waves._ Allura, he must have known what event it was, he_ did_ mention a body of water." Pidge offered, as they all, but Keith laughed and mocked the wording.

"Keep in mind that I have to nicely tell them that the government is not funding the new shipyard they want at Talquemdo. They have the money, and if they want the shipyard, they can pay for it." Allura said stiffly, annoyed that she had to deal with the whole thing.

Keith felt bad when he heard that, because he had sat in on some of the discussions about that project. It would have brought badly-needed jobs to the area's locals. However, the government was mad about the fact that the league was exempt from paying duty on what they shipped. It was a stalemate that was only hurting the people who could have used the jobs. Keith understood that Allura did not have the final say, but her opinions counted for a lot. He was disappointed that she was following the Dominion Council's line on the matter.

He grew even more disappointed when he heard her laughing at the snarky comments Lance was making, as Pidge rewrote some of the speech. Pidge, Hunk, and Larmina all ad libbed lines also, and Keith watched as they all treated it like some joke. He was shocked that Allura would react the way she did, with so much levity. Keith also found it interesting that Allura was giving Pidge free rein to redo the speech, with Lance's input. No one asked his opinion on the matter, either.

Larmina happened to look over at the holoscreen with the video feed running, and realized the next show had started. When she saw the arms of the royal house, her heart fell. "Aunt Allura, I think you'd better look at the newsfeed. I _swear_ I haven't done anything, really." She emphasized, remembering the last time, when the trip that she and Pidge had taken to Dradin was in the news.

_This is Entertainment Today, the Galaxy's most watched entertainment news source. Those royal ladies from Arus have been in the news a lot lately. Who can forget the lovely - but underage - Lady Larmina in Gavin D, clubbing on Dradin several months ago?_

The newsfeed flashed a picture of Larmina in the black dress, her hair down, and a drink in her hand. Pidge gave Larmina a wink, which made her feel a little better. She didn't like how the program impinged on her privacy.

_Her Aunt, Queen Allura, recently married in a sacred, traditional ceremony on Arus. Her Majesty has always been known for high mindedness and duty, but we think her marriage to Commander Lance McClain, son of Andrew McClain, head of the Galaxy Security Council, seems to have brought out a whole new side of her. The honeymoon location had been kept secret, but we know now that the couple went to Paris, France._

The newsfeed cut to a picture of the Eiffel Tower, and several other Parisian landmarks. Then the newsfeed showed a picture of Allura and Lance making out, in front of a shop that had brightly colored underwear in the windows.

_Of course when one is in Paris, one goes shopping, __especially__ lingerie shopping and a tourist happened to snap the newlyweds in front of Vannina Vesperini. Vannina Vesperini is a very high end lingerie store, known for its silk underwear lavishly trimmed with French lace. They have private, large fitting rooms, so the customers can see exactly what they are getting. The store would not return our messages, and we don't know if the couple was arriving or leaving when this picture was taken. We are willing to say though that the Prince Consort is a lucky man._

All eyes were on Allura, who was bright red, as she looked at the holoscreen. She knew the exact moment the picture had been taken, a very tender, private one between her and Lance. She wanted to cry, and she wanted to wring the neck of that stupid tourist who had taken the pictures.

Lance knew that Allie was mortified that everyone in the galaxy would see that picture, but it was out there now. He suddenly wanted her alone, and he knew that she wanted that too. He stood up, took her hand, and they left the room without a word to anyone.

"Well it doesn't matter now how bad her speech is tonight. No one is going to hear a word she says, as they will be too busy wondering what color underwear she has on." Fredericks commented, having just come in from the side door.

Pidge looked at the picture up on the screen, of the store window, and looked at Larmina as he asked "Honey, how come we can't go to Paris?"

"Honestly, I don't want to go to the same place my Aunt went, I don't my picture on that fucking show, and I want to go to the damn ocean!" Larmina exclaimed, stomping her foot as she did so.

"Rome, you could go to Rome, after you go Heligdorre, Your Ladyship. There are people who maintain the shopping is even better in Rome, than in Paris." Fredericks said in a silky tone, and Pidge looked at him with interest.

"Shopping?" Pidge asked, looking at the picture on the holoscreen again. He reached over and whispered something into Larmina's ear, and she started giggling. Fredericks beamed, happy that his suggestion had been met with welcome. Prince Andrei had always been his favorite, and Lady Larmina was her father in so many ways.

Keith sighed, mentally cursing the program, as now he wouldn't get the chance to bring up the family crest. He was also not happy at the mental images that were in his mind, of Allura in lace trimmed underwear. He was sure that he was never going to get the answer to his questions.

Lance, still holding Allie's hand went upstairs, and just as they got to her study Coran was there. He looked furious, as he saw the couple heading to the study.

"We need to talk right now!" Coran shouted his eyes blazing as he looked at Lance.

"No, we don't. Just leave it alone." Lance replied calmly, as he strode into the study with Allie, closing the door behind them.

Lance took Allie over to the sofa, and sat her down, then got her a shot of Bushmills. He brought it over to her, and watched as she drank it in one gulp.

"I truly hate that show!" She cried, and then put her face in her hands, as she thought about that picture. Lance gently cradled her face, and raised it up to look at him.

"Darling all that picture shows is the two of us kissing in front of a store, nothing else. It doesn't show us going in, or coming out. People will speculate, because that is what they do, and you know that very well." Lance reminded her, looking at her dark blue eyes that were filled with unshed tears.

"That afternoon was one of my favorite parts of our trip, and something I will always cherish. But we are the only two who know what happened in the store, and that is all that matters. I love you." Lance finished up, and kissed her gently as he put his arms around her shoulders.

Allie cuddled up against him, feeling his leather jacket against the side of her face. She took several deep breaths, inhaling the comforting smell of the leather, and enjoying him holding her. After a bit, she looked up at him, thinking how much she loved him. She told him that, and he smiled at her. Allie was puzzled when he got up from the sofa, and walked over to the door.

"Not that I don't trust Rigsby, but let's not take any chances." He said, as he came back over to the sofa. He pulled her against him, before lying down with her. Allie clutched at his jacket as he started kissing her hard, and she moved against him in response.

Outside, Coran was furious when Lance shut the door in his face, and vented to Rigsby about what Lance had done. The sentry, remembering what Lance had done two months earlier, gave the elderly prime minister a pitying look.

"I have important issues to discuss with Her Majesty, and we also have to talk about that picture." Coran said, clenching his teeth as he did so. Privately he was surprised something like this had not happened before, with how Lance carried on with Allura, all the time. Fredericks didn't seem to mind, but he did.

As he was thinking those thoughts he glanced at the access panel, to the left of the door. Above the keypad, in addition to a slot for an access disk, was a light indicator. Coran saw that it changed from green, to red, which meant someone inside had locked the door.

"Why is the door being locked in the middle of the day?" He asked out loud, but even as he said it, he knew why. Rigsby threw him another pitying look, which Coran did not appreciate it.

"Really, in the middle of the day, in her_ study_? Good Lord!" Coran exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. He added "Rigsby, just call me when Her Majesty is available." He turned on his heel and left, thinking that he needed a drink.

That evening Keith was in the main hall of the Castle, waiting to pick up a hovercar. He was taking Eimear out to dinner, and had been looking forward to it all day. It had been much more pleasant to think about Eimear, than Allura and that whole scene in the rec room. He did feel bad for her about the picture, but was still surprised that she would go out shopping like that. He heard laughter floating down from the staircase, and turned to look to see what was happening.

Lance and Allura came down into the main hall, dressed to go out. Lance was in white tie and tails, looking every inch a proper prince consort. Allura had on an emerald green silk evening dress, and a tiara, necklace, earrings, and bracelets of emeralds and diamonds. Keith had never seen her wear a color like that before, but it looked good on her. She looked beautiful, poised, and sophisticated, as well as looking like she was in love.

"Hello Keith, how is it going?" She asked him, breaking off from giggling with Lance about something. Lance said hello too, and Keith responded, but wondered if they were still laughing about the sea merchants' dinner. It still annoyed him that she could make light of something so important.

"You both look nice. I'm taking Eimear out to dinner, so I'm just waiting on the car." Keith explained, glad that he had the plans for the evening. He was also trying to stop his mind from wondering if her underwear was the same shade of green as her dress.

"Keith, I really like Lady Ainsely a lot, and I'm glad that you two get along so well." Allura told him, looking very happy as she said it. Keith figured it was probably because it soothed her conscience about how their relationship had turned out.

"Better watch out buddy or you will be step dad to a ten year old duke! You might have to get Allie to give you a title, just so you can hold your own." Lance said merrily, laughing, which made Allura laugh too. Keith was really tempted to retort that he probably already had a title, but decided not to go down that road.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the limousine is here." Higgins came into the hall and bowed to the couple. They said good night to Keith and excused themselves. He thought back to Fredericks' comment about her speech, and had to stifle a chuckle.

After picking Eimear up, they went to a restaurant that overlooked the river that ran through town. The food was good, and the atmosphere was calm. They looked out at the river as they ate, and Keith found himself relaxing as the evening progressed. He knew some of it was the wine, but most of it was Eimear's company.

"Do I get to know why you were so tense for the early part of our evening?" Eimear asked, as they enjoyed post-dinner snifters of Arusian brandy. Keith looked at her, and smiled at how well she read him.

"Eimear, I like you a lot, and I enjoy our relationship too. That is why it is hard to talk about it." Keith said, not wanting to talk about his feelings for Allura with Eimear.

"Keith, she _is_ your friend, right? As is the Commander?" Eimear asked, referencing Allura the way she did to protect their privacy. She went on "Keith, you were in love with her for eight years, and then she goes and marries your best friend with barely a month's notice. Now you have to see her everyday and work with her too. I don't care if you talk about her, as long as there are no references to lavish, lace trimmed underwear."

That comment made them both laugh, which broke the dam. Keith told her about the couple's return from Paris, the scene in the rec room from earlier in the day, and that he had not been able to bring up the cigarette case. He finished up with the comment that he felt like he was just going backward, instead of moving forward.

"If I may offer my view, Keith? I would say that you are missing the Commander's company, and taking it out on his wife. There is also the fact that you are still adjusting to seeing her as a married woman." Eimear said to him, putting her hand on his as she spoke.

Keith thought about what she had just said, and could see some merit in it. He told her that, but added "I really didn't care for her attitude today, about the shipyard, and how she let Pidge and Lance rewrite her speech."

Eimear got a smile on her face, and she asked "Is that it, or did you feel that she should have asked for your input?" Keith gave her a surprised look in response, and wondered not for the first time if she could read minds.

"You know, I think you might be right about that. I feel like she is keeping me at arm's length all the time, but I'm not sure why." Keith explained slowly, trying to analyze it as he explained it. There had been several occasions when he'd caught Allura looking at him very strangely, for no reason.

"Keith, do you think it might be because of the way you are looking at her? I am sure that it is hard for you to see her in a different light now. A woman knows when a man is looking at her, and while you are just trying to figure it all out, she doesn't understand it." Eimear replied, as she tilted her head.

"Maybe, but I just have to wonder if I ever knew her at all. I would never have thought she would have enjoyed that lavish honeymoon like she did. Then there is the way that Lance behaves with her that she almost encourages. She is always laughing all the time, and making fun of serious stuff. And I know it sounds stupid, but I don't like the idea that he smokes around her!" Keith vented his feelings, and felt better, even as he realized how childish he sounded.

"Well, to me, it sounds like she is enjoying having a handsome, charming husband, one who cherishes her and makes her laugh. As far as the smoking goes, it is a personal choice, and none of your business." She paused, and he could practically feel the regret and sadness welling up inside her.

"And besides, no one ever said that having your illusions shattered was easy, or pretty." Once she'd finished her piece, Eimear stared off into the night sky, her heart swelling with mixed emotions. She then turned to look at him, disappointed that there was so much he couldn't yet understand – about the Commander, about the Queen, and about _her_.

He looked at her open-mouthed, knowing that she was correct about how Allura_ should_ be happy with the way her new husband was treating her. Keith felt that what Lance did wasn't what _he_ would have done, but then again, Allura hadn't chosen him. He also realized that he'd nagged Lance so much that he might never find out about the case. He sighed, and looked out on the river. Eimear saw what was going through his mind, and decided to change the subject.

"What ever happened with the search of the land records, Keith?" She asked, and he was grateful for the diversion. He told her about the estates, and the missing location of Hugelammeer. She perked up when he said the word, and asked him to write it out, which he did.

"Keith, it is - or was -somewhere by the ocean. Aiden has to learn ancient Arusian, which is very different from what we speak today. I don't recognize all of it, but I know that 'meer' is the ancient Arusian word for sea, or ocean." Eimear informed him, and added that the property must have been in his family for a long time.

"Thank you, that will help me narrow it down. Now, if I could just get a closer look at the cigarette case, and find out where Lance got it from, I might have some solid leads." Keith looked at her with genuine confusion and hurt in his eyes, and she sighed in commiseration with him. She could tell that he was pained on so many levels from the day's events, and even the topic of the property served nearly useless as a distraction.

"Maybe you need to stop focusing on the case, and focus on _your_ relationship with them, separately_ and_ as a couple instead. Why don't you invite Lance out for a drink, and spend some time with him. And if you feel the shipyard is important, go talk to your friend about it. Explain your reasons, and don't mention her relationship with her husband. It will be difficult, but the less you focus on their marriage, the easier it will become," Eimear told him in a kind tone.

"I appreciate your help with this, and for listening to me as well. I know I sound like an ass," Keith told her, thinking about what she'd said about Allura and Lance. He then wondered if Eimear wished she had a handsome, charming husband who cherished _her_. Perhaps that had been the source of her pain and sadness this evening. He may have been self-absorbed, but even he wasn't stupid enough to miss when she wasn't acting as her usual self.

"Keith, you've done a lot for me and Aiden too! It has been so nice to have someone to discuss my concerns with," Eimear told him encouragingly, giving him a kind smile. Keith decided to be brave and tell her the idea he'd been mulling over in his head.

"Eimear, in a couple of weeks I have to go to Earth for a series of meetings at GA Headquarters. I don't suppose you would be interested in accompanying me?" Looking at her nervously, Keith scanned her face for her reaction, wondering what it would be. He watched as a look of amazement crossed over, and then she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Why are you inviting me, Keith?" She asked slowly.

"Eimear, I enjoy your company. I also think it would be nice to be able to spend more time together." He wondered why she was asking, and worried that she would say no.

She looked off at the river before she answered. "Let me think about it Keith, and check my schedule." As she answered in a neutral tone, Keith felt his heart sink. He thought back to her comment about Lance and Allura. He knew, from what Eimear had told him, that she and Percy had never had that kind of relationship. He wondered again if that was the kind of relationship she wanted, or if she too was interested in a relationship more like Lance's and Allura's.

He then wondered why every other man seemed to be able to have a relationship with a woman, but he couldn't. That thought nagged him and bothered him as he escorted Eimear home for the evening.

When they finally arrived at her house, he turned to face her. "This was really a wonderful evening for me, Eimear," he told her. "Despite what I might say or how I might act when we're together, I have never had less than an incredible time with you by my side.

"Well, you're certainly giving me plenty to work with," she answered, cupping his face in her hands and moving her lips closer to his. "You give me a run for my money, Commander."

Taking her words as his cue, he leaned in for a good night kiss.

The kiss went on for quite a while, and when she finally broke away and ducked inside the house, Keith felt much better. Obviously she wasn't writing him off completely, he reasoned, and hoped that she would change her mind about the trip to Earth.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Author's note: There is no theme to this chapter; rather it is the bridge between what has gone on so far, and what his going to happen with Keith's search for his family history. It covers the period from the last chapter, until Pidge and Larmina's wedding. There will be different POVs, showcasing what some our friends have been up to.**_

_**KathDMD: Our friends on Pollux are talked about in this chapter.**_

_**A Bridge So Close, Yet So Far**_

Hunk was having the time of his life at the Coapella VI music festival, and Sissi was a big part of it. He had to wonder how the universe worked when, after he decided to pursue Sissi wholeheartedly, she had called him. Her grandfather, the Duke of Malden was getting ready to celebrate his birthday in grand style at the family estate, and Sissi wanted him to escort her.

It turned out that not only was Sissi wondrous, but she was also beloved. She was the first female offspring in two generations, and everyone adored her. Hunk got to meet her other brother, an army officer, as well as her cousins. He had been almost scared to death at the thought of the weekend, but when he arrived at the estate, there was a huge touch football game going on.

He cheered up even more when he saw Daniel, Vince, Biff, Monk, and of course Porter there. Daniel told him that Vince was looking out for him, and that this was _the party_ in the Southern Dominion. Hunk had not known, until Daniel told him, that Sissi's grandfather was the Southern Dominion Lord, and the senior nobleman on the council.

Sissi's mother was a laid back woman who took her sons' and their male cousins' rough housing in stride. Her Father was kind and easy going, his main interest being his racing stable. The duke was a dignified gentleman, who had served under Coran in the Arusian government during the Drule war. From his point of view, Voltron had saved the Kingdom, and if his favorite grandchild wanted a lion pilot he was all for it.

The weekend had been lots of fun, and it reminded Hunk of his family in a lot of ways. Sissi was also amazing, in the fact that she could outride, and outshoot all of her brothers and cousins. They were all military officers, or soon to be officers, who served their country and the Olympic team in the military sports. He had been surprised to learn that Porter, for all of his card playing and drinking was an excellent shot, who had finished second to Daniel in the marksmanship trials.

The music festival was a week after the duke's birthday party, and Hunk and Sissi travelled down with Pidge and Larmina. The accommodations turned out to be incredible, but he wasn't sure if it was because of Pidge or Larmina. He had already seen how Larmina left all issues to Fredericks. She took pride in announcing that she had no domestic skills at all. Hunk was pretty sure that Pidge could have care less about that.

Fredericks doted on her, and anything she asked of him he delivered in spades. Pidge had entertainment connections, so of course it all perfect. The house was three stories, complete with a steward and a hot tub. It was within walking distance of the festival, but because of the acoustics of the natural amphitheater, the music could be heard from any of the three balconies. The entire third floor of the house was a suite with its own balcony, while the second floor had two separate suites, each with their own bathroom. The main floor had a living room, dining room, and a terrace that led out to the hot tub.

The first day they arrived, ate lunch, and then went to go listen to some of the music. Larmina and Sissi both had flouncy print miniskirts, lace tank tops, ankle boots, and cowboy hats in coordinating colors. Hunk enjoyed seeing Sissi's figure in the outfit. They had top level passes, so they were in the VIP section the whole time.

When they got back to the house, the steward had dinner all set, along with cocktails and wine. After the meal they went back to the festival to listen to three more groups. Pidge and Larmina were very critical of the performances, while Hunk was too distracted with Sissi to really register anything.

Larmina wanted to try the hot tub, so they all met down there after changing into bathing suits. Hunk waited for Sissi to come out from her room; when they had first arrived Pidge had Larmina had gone upstairs to the master suite on the third floor, leaving them with the steward. He had shown them to different rooms, and Hunk wondered if he had to abide by it. At the ducal estate he understood, but this wasn't the ducal estate, and was ready for a lot more.

Sissi came out wearing a very tiny bikini, and Hunk cheered up greatly. The hot tub was lots of fun, and they drank champagne while admiring the stars. After a bit Pidge and Larmina excused themselves, leaving Hunk and Sissi. She had looked at him very carefully, and then asked him about skinny dipping. They ended up missing a lot of music over the next few days, but were there for the closing act by Qwill Z.

Keith felt like his life was stalled on all levels, and he didn't know how to get anything on the right track. He and Eimear had gone out twice since the talk they'd had, and both times had been enjoyable. Eimear had not mentioned the trip, so Keith hadn't brought it up. His thought was that the ball was in her court, and he didn't want to pester her about it.

Instead, he thought about what she'd said about Lance and Allura to him. Keith still puzzled about their relationship, and who Allura really was. He was amazed that he and Lance saw her so differently, and that Lance's view was the correct one. Keith found it interesting that his friend was able to connect with her, in a way that he'd never been able to. Lance understood her perfectly, it seemed.

Keith got to see it firsthand one day, when he accidently overheard Coran and Lance. He was on his way back downstairs, having finished up with the head of the Castle Defense Unit, when heard Lance's voice coming from Coran's office. He reasoned it wasn't really eavesdropping because the door was open. The issue had been a royal visit to one of the Dominions that Allura was scheduled to do the following week.

The gist was that Coran had arranged the schedule to cover the maximum amount of ground possible. Lance was saying that the schedule was too tight, and that Allura needed more down time. Keith knew that he would never have thought about her personal needs like that. He would have been more concerned about getting as much done as possible. In his mind, and obviously Coran's too, that was the purposed of these trips.

He had the chance to ask Lance about how the conversation had gone, that evening. Allura was out at some dinner for a girl's school, so Keith took advantage of her absence, and asked Lance if he wanted to go out. They'd ended up at a pub type place in town, where Lance knew the owners.

"This is a real Irish pub, and they actually have Guinness on tap." Lance advised, as they sat down. Keith took Lance's word for it, since he'd never been to Ireland. He made that comment, and Lance informed him that it was a great place. He then added that he was planning on taking Allura there, later in the year, for the big horse show in Dublin. Keith nodded his head, adding that it sounded like fun, if you liked horses. They then caught up on what was happening with GA, as well as other happenings around town.

"Hey, I didn't mean to be eavesdropping, but I was upstairs when you were talking to Coran. Is everything all right with the trip?" Keith asked over a second round of Guinness. Lance shook his head.

"Honestly, the schedule Coran put together was ridiculous. Allie would be going non-stop for over sixteen hours a day." Lance exclaimed, as he rolled his eyes. Keith ventured the comment that Coran probably wanted Allura to see as many people as possible. He was privately surprised that Allura didn't feel the same way, but then he thought about the scene in the rec room, that one day. Keith realized he didn't know what she really thought about anything anymore.

"Did you ever go on one of these tours with her?" Lance asked him, and Keith had to shake his head. He had never been asked, but wasn't going to admit that to Lance.

"I did several of them with her, the last couple of years, and let me tell you it is damn hard work. You stand on your feet all day, eat bad food, and listen to provincial local officials who all want more money for their little burgs. The background music is the royal anthem played off key, while it is either boiling hot, or freezing cold." Lance finished up, as he dipped some of the sweet potato fries in a curry sauce.

Keith was sidetracked for a bit, thinking about all the time Lance had spent with Allura while he was gone. He remembered Eimear's comment that an announcement had been expected a lot sooner than it had happened. He put those thoughts out of his mind, and instead said that from the point of view of the people, it was a wonderful event for them to see and if possible meet the Queen.

"Well that is all fine, but if she ends up tired and worn out, what is the benefit of that? No, I got him to redo the schedule, so it is not so full. Also, halfway through we are taking a two day break, to relax at one of the lakes in the area. Fredericks set us up with a great house that has a dock right on the lake, with a sailboat." Lance said, looking happy.

Keith knew he would never have thought of taking time out for something like that. He knew that these tours were a big part of Allura's job, and people looked forward to the chance to see the Queen. He wasn't quite sure why she could not have rested when she got back to the Castle, and he made that comment to Lance.

"Why shouldn't Allie have the chance to enjoy the tours she has to do? Buddy boy, this is a big part of your problem! You do not know how to relax and enjoy life. You are too serious. " Lance said, giving him a sad look.

"I'm beginning to see that." Keith sighed, thinking of Eimear. She would see Lance's point of view better than he was. Hell, he thought, Eimear would probably enjoy the chance to relax and go sailing. He then wondered if Eimear even liked sailing, and he realized that he'd never known that Allura liked horses and sailing like she did.

"Are we having woman trouble? If the ice queen thinks you are too serious, you do have problems!" Lance declared, peering intently at Keith. He didn't like how Lance referred to Eimear, but then remembered his thought when he first met her.

"Just so you know, Larmina thinks you are going to blow it with Eimear." Lance observed to Keith in a worried voice, and Keith just stared at him. Lance ate some more fries, scooping up most of the curry sauce as he did so.

"Excuse me? She thinks what? And how did you hear it?" Keith asked incredulously, as he signaled for another round. Lance shook his head at Keith's distress.

"She told Pidge, who told Hunk, who told me. Per Her Ladyship, she thinks that Eimear will get tired of waiting for you to get to the point. Do not ask me how the subject came up with her and Pidge though. I will say that I am inclined to agree with her on this one." Lance explained it, peering at him intently. Keith thought that while the man might be his best friend, but he could be as annoying as hell.

"I have invited her to go to earth with me, in a couple of weeks." Keith had not been going to say anything, but he didn't appreciate Larmina casting aspirations on his love life. He wondered what made her such an expert all of a sudden on the subject.

"Keith, do tell? Nice, getting her away from the kid while you put the moves on her. Where are you going to stay?" Lance perked up, always liking to talk about sex. He added that there might be some hope for Keith after all.

"Well, she isn't sure if she can go or not. I really haven't given any thought as to where to stay." Keith told him, and wasn't pleased to see the frown Lance got on his face.

"Not good Keith! A woman like that always knows her schedule, so the issue must be if she wants to go with you or not. How did you ask? What did you say?" Lance narrowed his eyes as he asked.

"I told her I liked her company." Keith said defensively, not sure why he was feeling that way. He wished the subject had never come up.

"Honestly, that is how you asked her? Aren't you planning on having sex with her?" Lance looked at him like he had three heads; he then added "I think Larmina is wrong about you being too scarred for a relationship, you are too scared and clueless."

"Damn it all, is that all anyone talks about, is my love life? Maybe when Larmina finishes redecorating the Castle she can take up psychology!" Keith exclaimed in disgust. He wondered who else Larmina was sharing her comments about him with. Did she and Allura have girl chats about him, he mused.

"Temper, temper! Buddy boy, you really need help. When Pidge was trying to get Larmina to Dradin, do you think he phrased 'I like your company'? Women want to be wooed, and fussed over." Lance explained to him.

"Oh, I should have told her I was going to take her lingerie shopping?" Keith said before he could stop himself. He knew it was a low blow, but he was feeling defensive about the remarks Lance, and indirectly Larmina, had made. They certainly didn't do anything to get rid of the fear that was gnawing at the corner of his mind, about Eimear and the trip.

"God damn it Keith, it would have been better than what you did! Just so you know women like to go shopping. A smart man understands this, and goes along with it, because the rewards are incredible!" Lance offered, getting a wicked grin on his face. Keith didn't want to go down that road, thinking about Allura and Lance shopping. Instead, he thought about Eimear, and sighed again.

"My advice buddy boy is to come up with some fun stuff to do while on earth, and some great places to stay. Take her out, wine and dine her, have fun, laugh, and hey, maybe even you can get laid!" Lance told him, as if that was the solution to everything. Keith was sure that Lance was going to go on, but just then another GA officer came up to say hello. Keith went to bed that night with a lot to think about.

He remembered what Eimear had said, about how she'd gotten married young, during the war. It sounded like she and Percy had not had a lot of companionship in their marriage. Keith had to admit it had been a long time since he'd taken any real time off. He just wasn't sure if he knew how to.

He also thought about Allura and Lance, and the way Lance put her feelings first. He was willing to stand up to Coran if it came down to it. Keith knew that his friend saw Allura as a woman first, and the queen second. It was something that he'd never been able to accomplish, getting past her royal rank. He was also annoyed with Larmina's comments on his love life.

While Keith was trying to figure out what to do about Eimear and the trip to earth, he was also pursuing the location of the third estate. Once Eimear had told him about the ancient Arusian language, he thought it would be easy to find some old maps. He went to the court librarian, who had shown Keith the few books they had in the Castle, none of which helped. The woman added that there had been more at one time, but a Drule attack had destroyed that part of the library.

He had not been able to do any more with the cigarette case, which was frustrating. It didn't help that Lance and Allura had left for their tour, and Keith found himself wishing the sailboat would spring a leak. He was starting to think that his life was permanently stalled, and he didn't know how to get it going again.

It was three weeks before her wedding, and Larmina was heading over to spend the evening with her Aunt and Lance. Pidge was on Pollux, running some experiments on Sven, who was there visiting Erik. She found her Aunt and Lance out on the dining room balcony, where Lance was mixing drinks.

"You look like you could use a lemontini." Her Aunt told her with a smile, and added that she'd had Lance mix some up because she was joining them. Larmina had to smile at how thoughtful her Aunt was, remembering that she liked that cocktail. She also had to smile at the difference in her Aunt, from all those months ago. Allura treated her like a grown up now, and not some school girl.

"Thank you, yes that would be great." Larmina replied, as she sat down and checked out the appetizers on the table. The smoked salmon made her think of Pidge, and she wished he was here. Lance passed out drinks, and then sat down next to Allura.

"Would you mind if I smoke?" Lance asked Larmina, more to be polite than anything else. He already knew the answer.

"Lance, you know I won't mind. Just make sure Entertainment Today is not around." Lamina stated, getting an angry look on her face. Lance lit his cigarette, and then looked at her in sympathy.

"That is right; you were featured very heavily in their last installment." Lance smiled at her as he exhaled. The show had reviewed the outfits she had worn at the music festival, with not always kind words.

"I think they are way too interested in what we wear." Allura observed, remembering that the subject of her underwear had come up, while the commentator was looking at Larmina's outfits.

Lance didn't want Allie to dwell on it, so he asked "By the way, how come we never saw Hunk and the wondrous Sissi there? It was all you and Pidge." Lance said, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"That is because they hardly left the bedroom the entire time. I guess being an Olympic athlete gives you extra stamina." Larmina said with a giggle, which caused Allie and Lance to laugh too.

"I'm glad that Hunk has someone finally. I think he's been lonely for a long time." Allie commented, taking a sip of her drink. She looked over at Lance, and couldn't imagine her life without him. Allie reached over and kissed him on his cheek, which made Lance beam.

"What is happening on Pollux?" She asked her niece, after kissing Lance. Allie knew that she'd talked to Pidge before she came out.

"Pidge said that the cannabis did a good job of neutralizing the side effects of the haggerium, but he doesn't know if it will get rid of it. He is going to have Sven ingest it once a week, and then monitor the haggerium levels to see what happens." Larmina explained, and then she frowned. Her Aunt saw it, and asked her what the problem was.

"I guess things aren't going well with Sven and Romelle. Pidge said that even if he cures the haggerium infection, they will still need a marriage counselor." She said with a sigh. Larmina went on to tell them that Sven didn't like Romelle's house, the way it was decorated, the servants, and how she was raising Erik.

"Pidge was telling me about the house that Sven had picked out, and that he couldn't believe that Romelle had actually lived in it. He said it was a total dump, but the yard was nice." Larmina finished up, taking a smoked salmon appetizer in honor of Pidge.

"Stubborn Viking." Lance said, as he stubbed out his cigarette in the crystal ashtray. He took a sip of his drink and went on "Sven is going to end up alone because he can't compromise, or see anyone else's point of view. He and Keith are exactly alike." Allie and Larmina looked at Lance with interest, so he explained the conversation he'd had with Keith the night they went out.

"I told Pidge that Keith would blow it with Eimear." Larmina said in a sad tone. Allura said that she hoped it would work out for him. Larmina was reaching for another smoked salmon appetizer when she caught sight of Lance's cigarette case.

"This is beautiful, Lance! Is it Clouthier?" Larmina asked, as she picked it up to examine it. She turned it over, to look at the hinges, and asked if she could open it. Lance nodded, being interested in how she was examining it, like an expert.

"How do you know about Jean Piel Clouthier?" Her Aunt asked.

"One of the curators at the museum is putting together an exhibit of his work, for next year. I said I would loan my Father's case for it. I've been meaning to ask you if you would loan Grandfather's case too." Larmina said, and then went on to explain how she knew it was a genuine piece. She explained the special hinges he used, the closing mechanism, and how on the undersides of the horizontal bars the warrants were stamped, signifying the year the piece was made.

Allura had turned the patronage of the art museum over to her niece a year ago, because she wasn't that interested in art. She'd also thought that it would give the girl a taste of royal duties. Larmina had risen to the occasion and impressed everyone. Allura had also privately observed that her niece's pro-Arusian opinions would be locally contained.

Watching her examine the cigarette case, Allura remembered the writing inside it. She made that comment, and Larmina examined it. Bringing up the holoscreen, Allura told them about her plan to see if Pidge could figure out the language.

"It would be neat to know what it says. That diagram almost looks like a map. My Father's has his wedding date inside it, his name, and my Mother's name. The outside is bright red enamel, with the arms of Arus and Falcos, my Mother's planet. There is also a diamond monogram of their initials." Larmina said, mostly for Lance's benefit, since Allura knew what the case was like.

"I bet this is part of a family crest. The fox is displayed 'rampant proper' or rampaging, over a trimount. The trimount is the three pronged leaf you see, and it means that the family owned three different properties; well at least when the crest was designed." Larmina explained as she handed the case back to Lance.

He and Allie were both impressed with her knowledge of heraldry, as well as Clouthier pieces. Allie said that she would show the inscription to Pidge when he got back, adding that it would be neat to find out the family history of the object.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Warning – Major Lemon Alert!**_

_**A Study In Pink Lace**_

Lance was heading up to Allie's study, after a long, and in his opinion too early of a morning. Keith had taken advantage of having Pidge, Larmina, and Hunk all back from the music festival. They took the Lions out to Sector Alpha Neut, to run some scans on the area. The early take off cut into his time with Allie. Keith seemed to be scheduling a lot of very early morning flights, and if it was anyone besides Keith, Lance would think he was doing it on purpose to annoy him.

However, Lance reasoned it was because Keith liked getting up early, and the fact that he didn't have anyone in his bed. He and Allie had laughed about Keith and Eimear having sex; Allie had brought up the logistical issue. Eimear's house was out, because of Aiden and the servants, while Lance pointed out that Keith's room at the Castle was too depressing.

Lance had been thinking of getting Mansett to invite Keith to Dradin, hoping he would take Eimear along. Allie had declared though that she didn't see Keith or Eimear being the type to enjoy Dradin. Lance had then told Allie that he would take her there, because they would enjoy it. They were going to be traveling to Earth later in the year, and he told her that they would do the Dradin trip on the way back.

"Is Her Majesty available?" Lance asked, as he stopped at Rigsby desk. He could see the study door was open, and he had full access to Allie's schedule. He knew though that sometimes things came up at the last minute. Lance was also aware that Rigsby took his job very seriously, and he made it a point to get along with the critical people in her life. He respected the sentry, and the sentry respected him for that reason.

"Your Highness, yes she is." Rigsby answered pleasantly, and he chatted with Lance for a couple of minutes before Lance went into the study, shutting the door behind him. Rigsby made it a point to keep an eye on the access panel; he knew how things worked now that Her Majesty was married. If the red light went on, he prepared himself to start rescheduling her appointments for the day.

It was an unspoken arrangement, but it served its purpose. His Father had served Her Majesty's Father in the same position. Rigsby saw everything, but knew how to keep his mouth shut. Because of that he was given complete access to what was going on with the Kingdom. The Queen would tell him who to keep waiting, who to put off, and who to be very accommodating to.

A great deal of the time she didn't have to explain in great detail, as Rigsby understood how Her Majesty's mind worked. He knew how things were going to shake out, and he treated people accordingly. He was aware that the Prince Consort knew a great deal more about government business than he let on.

Rigsby had seen the love and trust between the couple, and he'd also seen several people make the mistake of dismissing the Queen's husband as only a good looking pilot. In fact, His Highness was smart, and very astute; not a man to be crossed, in Rigsby's opinion. He was also aware of how much more pleasant it was now that Her Majesty was happily in love and married.

Lance had entered the study, and closed the door, as he walked over to Allie's desk. She'd heard his voice outside, and had perked up right away. It had been ghastly that Lance had to leave at 4:00am this morning. That was one thing she didn't miss about not flying anymore, the early morning drills. She watched Lance walk over to her, in his pilot suit and leather jacket. He already had a smile on his face, and the brown eyes were soft with admiration. He walked over to her chair, and putting his arm around her shoulders went to kiss her.

"Mmm, very nice! It is too bad that you couldn't have stayed in bed this morning to do it." Allie teased, when Lance broke off the kiss.

"I would have been very happy to stay in bed, but our fearless leader had other ideas." Lance said, moving closer to Allie. She put her arms inside his jacket, around his waist, and snuggled against him. Lance sighed happily, and tenderly stroked her hair.

"Do you have time to go have some coffee out on the balcony?" Lance asked, and she looked up at him as she nodded her head.

"I would love some! I have been reading Dominion reports for the last two hours, and I need a break. Honestly, I wish Lanister would get someone else to write his reports, as they are ghastly to read." Allie said, referencing the Ocean Dominion Lord, Lanister, Duke of Kerrsten.

"Darling, the man is too much of a control freak to let that happen." Lance told her, having met the man on several occasions, and being on good terms with several officials who served under him in the Ocean Dominion. They chatted about the issues for that region, as they both got coffee and went out to the balcony.

The study was on the side of the Castle that didn't overlook the lake, but Allie enjoyed the view of the hedge maze from the vantage point. She could see the water of the fountain sparkling in the sun as it danced in the air. Lance sat next to her, and reached into the inner pocket of his jacket. He brought out his white case with the fox, and his gold Dunhill lighter. He made another observation about the happenings with Lanister's governing of the Ocean region, as he lit his cigarette.

Allie agreed, and added "Unfortunately, he is the hereditary Dominion Lord, so we are stuck with him." That was a big issue with the Kingdom that so many of the important positions were handed down by blood line and family. She took a deep breath, relaxing as she did so. Talking to Lance was both therapeutic and helpful. He saw people for exactly what they were, and always told her the unvarnished truth.

She knew that people would have been surprised to have learned that Lance had been doing that for several years, even before they married. He had spent a lot of time in Arusian society, and was a good judge of character, not to mention being adept at picking up gossip. Lance would tell her things about people, and at first she had not always believed him. However, without fail he had always been right, and she knew to trust his judgment.

"So what are you doing with the rest of your day?" Lance asked, exhaling a stream of smoke. They'd finished up with Lanister, and he had told her about their early morning flight. He knew that Allie welcomed the break in her schedule, and he liked the privacy they had out here. Lance was thrilled that he didn't have to go out to the walled garden to smoke; he also loved helping his wife.

"Well I have to go to an Assembly lunch in town, and then I am touring a community garden. This morning, in fifteen minutes, I have a meeting with your fearless leader." Allie informed him, after taking a sip of her coffee. It was so pleasant to sit out here with Lance, being able to talk about everything with him. He was the one person, besides Coran, that she didn't have to weigh her words with before she spoke.

"Really? Why did he request an official meeting?" Lance wondered, as he inhaled on his cigarette. Allie gave him a wry smile, as she watched him exhale and then tap the ash off his cigarette into the polished green onyx ashtray with a thoughtful look, and then added "I thought he normally just showed up at your office when he had stuff to discuss."

"Now that I think about it, this is going to be our first one on one meeting since we've been back from our honeymoon." Allie pondered, looking out at the hedge maze before she continued on "I think he is having a hard time adjusting to how things are now. I'm glad you two went out the other night, by the way." Lance nodded his head, hoping that Keith would eventually get used to them as couple. He told her that, and she agreed.

"He wants to discuss the sea merchant's league, and the shipyard, according to his memo. He is concerned that the government is being short sighted about the economic benefits the project could bring." Allie sighed, as she drank more of her coffee. Lance knew exactly what the sigh was about, and gave her a sympathetic glance. The shipyard issue had been the major subject of conversation at the last couple of Dominion Council meetings. He knew what her stance was on the whole thing, and he didn't blame her one bit.

"Allie, have you explained to him how much revenue the government loses because the merchants are exempt from duty on what they ship? And it is not like they are putting that money into the community; it is all going into their own pockets." Lance declared, taking another drag on his cigarette. He had heard about the wealth some of those merchants had accumulated in the last couple of years.

"Thank you very much, and yes you are right! However, Keith thinks the government should overlook that little fact, and pay for the shipyard out of the exchequer. After all, the poor locals have no jobs, while the merchants are living high on the hog. I am damn tired of this issue, and those merchants have enough money to build their own shipyard." Allie exclaimed in a huff, and then calmed down. It angered her that she could not do more to help, but until the merchant's league came around that was the way it was going to be.

"I do appreciate Keith's interest in the well being of the local people. They could use the jobs the shipyard would bring, but with the revenue structure the way it is, the government is not paying for it." Allie put her hands out, palms up, to signify that was how it was going to be.

"So how are you going to handle it?" Lance tilted his head, as he asked. He privately thought it rather funny how 'Arusian' Keith had become, ever since he'd found out that his family was from Arus. He had immersed himself in studying the government, and history.

Lance knew that part of what made Keith a great leader was his ability to master a subject, as well as his concern for the people who served under him. The flip side was that Keith had become even more serious and stuffy than before, as he studied Arusian matters. Lance actually knew a great deal about Arus, but kept that fact quiet. After all he was the one Allie discussed the important stuff with at the end of the day.

"Keith is very good with hard data, so I'm going to let the revenue figures, or lack thereof, speak for themselves. I have no doubt that once he analyzes them, he will understand the government's position." Allie laid out her plan with a pleased smile. Lance gave her an understanding look back, admiring how she had decided to tackle the issue. He told her that, as he finished his cigarette.

"Sugar, what would you think about keeping Keith waiting for a while, before his lesson on Inland Revenue?" Lance asked with a wicked grin on his face, as he reached over and started stroking her arm. He liked waking up by making love to Allie, and Keith's early morning flight had put a crimp in those plans. Plus, she looked adorable as she sat across from him, sunlight illuminating her. Allie looked at her handsome husband, and saw the gleam in his eye as he smiled.

"Honey that is a wonderful idea. Why don't you go lock the door?" Allie gave him a sultry look, as she stood up and extended her hand to him. They walked into the study, and Lance went over to the control panel, by the door. Allie was already taking off skirt and blouse, over by the sofa.

"I have a different idea." Lance beckoned her over to the fireplace, where he was standing. By now she was out of her clothes and he admired her body as she walked over to him. She had on a pink lace bra and panty set, decorated with satin bows in a slightly darker shade of pink.

"Allie, very pretty underwear! You do of course know that I am going to enjoy taking it off of you." Lance drawled, as she came up next to him. She took his jacket off, and went for the zipper of his flight suit.

"Well I don't think it is fair that you still have your clothes on, Lance." She pouted as she got the zipper undone. Lance sighed as he felt her hands on his chest, before she pushed his flight suit off of his shoulders. He stepped away from her, and quickly took off his boots and stepped out of his suit. Allie smiled as she saw his well muscled body, covered only by his dark blue boxers.

"That is getting better, Honey. Now that we are over here, what is your idea?" Allie asked delightfully, as she hugged Lance tightly. She soon found out when he lowered her to the fluffy sheepskin rug that was in front of the fireplace. It was soft and cushiony underneath her; while Lance's hard body was on top of her.

Lance started kissing her deeply, and she responded totally, moving against him in full abandon. Allie felt his hands on her body, and realized that he had gotten her bra off without her noticing. She was always amazed at how fast he could get her clothes off of her. She moaned as one of his hands found her breast, while his tongue was still in her mouth.

"God, are you incredible." Lance murmured, as he moved his mouth to the side of her neck. Allie breathed in the scent of her husband, before she moaned again; as Lance moved his hand to her other breast, teasing the nipple to rock hardness. Allie arched as he moved his kisses down her chest, and between her breasts. She had her hands in his hair, stroking his head and neck.

Allie was surprised when he didn't stop at her nipples, but kept kissing and nipping downwards, over her stomach. He took his hand and lightly fingered the pink lace that was covering her crotch, and then let one of his fingers slip underneath the lace. He then put another finger under the lace, and let them move around gently. It caused her to move against him, wanting him as close as possible.

"Let me get these off before they rip." Allie gasped, as a wave of desire hit her. Lance was responsible for the fact that she went through underpants at a fast rate. She liked her bras and panties to match, and she had started buy three pair of panties for every bra. Her husband was not a patient man when he wanted her. They'd made passionate love in more than one setting that had nothing to do with a bed or a floor. Lance was very creative, and she was very flexible.

Lance laughed but helped her get out of them, commenting again on how pretty they were. He was very glad that he'd introduced her to French underwear; she had good taste and enjoyed wearing it. Lance started laying soft, wet kisses on her inner thigh, slowly moving his way up to her femaleness. She spread her legs some, but just as he reached the top he stopped.

Slowly working his way back down, he started up the other inner thigh, his tongue leaving tingles in its wake. Allie groaned as he approached her femaleness again, and Lance knew just what she wanted. He moved his mouth to the hot, wet area, letting his tongue gently lick the soft flaps of skin protecting her core. He heard her make the purring sound that let him know she liked what he was doing.

Lance slowly put his tongue inside her, as she arched up in desire. He found her nub with no problem, and when his tongue rubbed against it, she let out a small scream of delight. That turned into a moan of sheer pleasure as he kept massaging it with his tongue, while his lips lightly sucked her wetness.

"Oh, ah, wow, oh god more!" Allie exclaimed, with desire and anguish as Lance continued his assault on her core. She was so close to climaxing, and her body was begging for release. Lance heard the moans and small screams, and he felt his cock get even harder, as a rush hit it hard. He realized he was ready to come, and moved his mouth away from her core.

Allie slightly whimpered as he stopped what he was doing with his mouth, and then she felt his manhood enter her hard and fast. She exclaimed with pleasure as he filled her, and she adjusted herself to give him more access, to get as deep as possible. By now they were both so aroused that it only took about four hard thrusts before they both climaxed together. To Allie it felt like they shared one orgasm, and she rode it to the end, screaming his name, while he growled loudly as his seed flooded her body.

"Sugar, it is a good thing your study is sound proof." Lance panted, as he held her close, adding "Have I told you that I love you?" He looked at her, the gold hair dazzling against the white fluffy sheepskin. Her eyes were blazing blue fire, and her face and chest flushed pink.

"Yes, this morning when you left at 0 dark hundred, but I like hearing you say it. Lance, I love you too." Allie whispered, as she snuggled against him on the soft sheepskin. He stroked her hair, and gently held her as they recovered from their lovemaking. The study was quiet and cool, and they both enjoyed the peacefulness of the moment.

Keith presented himself at Allura's study about five minutes early, as was his habit at all times. He hated it when people were late, and made it a point not to be late himself. Keith had decided to take Eimear's advice, and talk to Allura directly about the shipyard issue. However, he went about it differently than he would have in the past.

Instead of dropping by her study, hoping to talk to her casually about it, he had requested an appointment through Rigsby. Keith included a short memo with what he wanted to cover in the meeting. Eimear had said he needed to build a new relationship with Allura, now that she was a married woman. If that meant being more formal with her, than he'd had in the past, he would go along with it.

Rigsby saw Commander Kogane coming into the small waiting room and smiled at the man. He had seen when the red light, on the access panel, had come on. The sentry had looked at the schedule to see what impact it was going to have. If someone was coming for a meeting from town, Rigsby would call them, to reschedule to a later time. On the other hand, if it was someone who worked in the Castle, Rigsby would just wait until they showed up.

"Good Morning Commander. I have to let you know that Her Majesty's current appointment is running later than planned. Can I call you when she is done?" Rigsby asked pleasantly, not wanting the Commander to wait around. He didn't even want to think about the awkwardness if the man was standing there when His Highness came out of the study. He had no intention of putting Her Majesty's husband in a difficult position with his Commanding Officer.

"I see, well I guess so." Keith sighed, not liking being put off, but understanding that things did come up. He decided to go see the court librarian, who'd sent him a message yesterday. He told Rigsby where he would be, and went down to the second floor. Entering the library, the librarian greeted him happily. Keith had told the older woman all about his research, and she had offered to let him know if something turned up.

"Commander Kogane, I'm glad you came by, as I have something for you." The woman said, reaching into her desk, and bringing out a small book bound in tattered pink satin with a lace overlay. The book was tied to together with a bow of wrinkled pink satin ribbon. She handed it to Keith, who noticed a book mark sticking out. He opened the diary to that page, and saw old fashioned handwriting on the pages.

"The diary belonged to the Dowager Countess of Munsten, who was a great-aunt of mine. I was reading it looking for some family history of mine, and I came across several references to your Father, and Grandfather." The woman went on to explain that her great-aunt was a lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty's Grandmother, and recorded all the court gossip.

"You are welcome to borrow it to read, as the references are scattered throughout the diary. I will tell you that the gist of it concerns your Grandfather being concerned about some girl that your Father was seeing. The problem is that while my great-aunt recorded everything, she didn't always use names. The girl is only referred to by her initials, and reading between the lines I picked up the impression her Father was bad news." The librarian told him apologetically.

"I guess I had not thought of personal diaries as source of information before. Thank you Mattie." Keith told the woman, who beamed. She suggested that maybe after he read the diary, he might get some leads on whom to talk to.

"If you need help with whom some of the people are I will have you talk to my Mother. She is still very sharp, and served at court too. She also took care of my great-aunt before she passed." The librarian offered, smiling at the Commander. Mattie thought he was the most polite, kind man she had ever met, and she felt for him, trying to find out about his family.

"That is very kind of you, but I would not want to bother your Mother." Keith remarked to Mattie, who laughed and told him that he'd be doing her a favor, as her Mother loved company. They chatted for a little bit more, and then Keith excused himself. He decided he didn't want to go back down to his office, as he was hoping that Rigsby would summon him soon. Keith was excited about the diary, but wanted to wait to read it until he knew he would not be interrupted. He was also curious about who Allura was meeting with that was taking so long.

One of the things he missed about his old relationship with Allura was knowing what was happening on Arus. They would talk about various issues in the Kingdom, and Keith would offer his advice on some of the situations. He had learned a great deal about how the Kingdom ran that way, and he missed having access to that knowledge.

Keith had also thought that she enjoyed his input on the issues, but now he wondered what she'd really thought about it. He still remembered the way she was that day in the rec room, with the speech, treating it like it was some private joke. He wondered what other things she had laughed about in private, while pretending to be all serious in public.

Sometimes, late at night, when he couldn't sleep he would speculate on what she talked to Lance about. It was hard to imagine his friend having a serious discussion about government, but he also knew that Lance was not the lightweight people assumed he was. From the pictures Keith had seen, and what Eimear had said, Lance had been very involved with Arusian society and Allura's life for a long time.

Lance had the best people skills that Keith had ever seen, and could read people very accurately. Laying there in bed was the only time that Keith let himself think about Lance and Allura's private relationship. Even then he felt like he was intruding somehow, but he really just wanted to understand everything that had happened.

Keith went back to the third floor, but did not approach the area where Rigsby sat, guarding access to Allura. Instead he went into an unused office, which connected to another small room, down the hall and in back of Rigsby's desk. By opening the door slightly he had a line of sight to the door to Allura's study. After getting into position he looked at his watch, and realized that it was almost twenty minutes since his meeting was supposed to start.

It was five minutes later, and Keith was getting tired of standing and staring at the study door. A part of him was tempted to walk away, but he really wanted to know what was going on. He summoned more patience, and was finally rewarded when the doors opened up. Keith was very shocked to see Lance coming out of the study. He looked very pleased with himself, and Keith wondered why that was.

He watched as Lance stopped to chat to Rigsby for a couple of minutes, before he left, heading down the hallway. Keith seethed as he watched Lance walk away, and thought how unfair it was. Lance could talk to Allura any time he wanted, while he had to make an appointment. An appointment that Lance over rode without a second thought, Keith thought, as he ground his teeth.

Keith took several deep breaths, and realized that he was overreacting to the situation. He also knew that if he talked to Allura in his present frame of mind, it would end badly. He left the room, and made his way to the wing, on the other side of the floor. At the end of the hallway was a set of French doors that led out to a small balcony. Keith stepped outside, letting the fresh air help to clear his mind as he calmed down. He knew that being mad at Lance, or Allura, would get him nowhere. Allura obviously had no problem with how Lance behaved, and as he thought that, he remembered what Eimear had said that night at dinner.

Lance made Allura feel loved and cherished, and she enjoyed it, as any woman would. Keith wondered what Eimear would do if he interrupted her day the way Lance felt free to interrupt Allura's day. As he thought that though, he knew he would never do anything like that to her. Keith wouldn't want someone to interfere with his schedule like that, and would never have thought of doing it to someone else.

His thoughts were broken off when Rigsby called, letting him know Her Majesty was available now. Keith swallowed the nasty comment he thought about making, and said he would be up in just a moment. Rigsby added that due to a lunch engagement, he would only have half an hour, instead of the original hour that had been planned. Keith said that half an hour would be fine; in truth he was tempted to cancel the meeting.

Keith arrived at her study and she greeted him kindly. Keith admired how lovely she looked, in a skirt of smooth navy blue wool in a straight design, with a flounce at the bottom. Her blouse was white, with a navy blue design of flowers and birds on it. Her gold hair was smooth and pulled back with her coronet, and she had peal drop earrings framing her face.

He had been determined not to think of her as Lance's wife, but the glow on her face, along with the sparkle in her eyes made that impossible. Keith now had no doubt what Lance had been doing in here, and he was shocked. Not that Lance had had sex with her, but that they'd done it in her study, probably on the couch. He was glad that she indicated the chair in front of the desk, and also motioned to a tray off to the side that had coffee on it, as well as some cookies. Keith decided he never wanted to sit on the couch again.

In the end the meeting turned out to be better than he'd hoped. Allura listened to what he had to say, and then presented the government's side of the matter. She had brought up a holoscreen, and had the various revenue figures for him to look at. Keith was at his best with hard data, and he understood now why the Council was taking the position it was. He still felt bad that the local people were caught in the middle, but saw that the government was not going to budge from the stance it had taken.

Keith, once he got over his shock about her and Lance having sex in the study, had enjoyed discussing the matter with her. Allura was very knowledgeable about government matters, and as he sat across from her he realized how much he missed the relationship they'd had. He left the meeting sad at how things were between them, and annoyed with Lance for cutting into his time with Allura.

"We were wondering if you were going to make it in time to eat. What kept you?" Lance asked as Keith entered the pilot's dining room. Lunch was being served, and everyone at the table turned to look at him. Pidge and Larmina stopped eating to say hello, while Hunk just smiled as he took a forkful of food.

"I had a meeting with Allura, and it was late getting started." Keith offered in a neutral tone, waiting to hear Lance's reaction. He wondered if Lance had known that Keith was who Allura was supposed to meet with.

"Allie said it was going to be a busy morning, as she had all the Dominion reports to get through." Lance remarked in an uninterested tone, and added "Did your meeting go well?"

Keith looked at his friend, who was studying the salad on his plate carefully. He decided that pursuing the avenue of thought, that Lance had done it on purpose, was a useless endeavor. Keith saw that the study incident, as he referred to the morning, was part of the new order of things at the Castle. He needed to accept it, and work with it, if he was going to have any kind of relationship with Allura. The thought made him lose his appetite, and he excused himself pleading work, but planning on reading the diary in his quarters.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Author's Note: One of my favorite TV shows is Downtown Abbey, and I love the spoof that SNL did about it. My favorite line can be seen in this chapter 'pretty much any time anyone says anything, a third person hears it'.**_

_**KathDMD: Thank you for inspiration and technical assistance on this chapter!**_

_**Heart Shocks**_

It was two hours later, and Keith was sitting in his quarters in utter shock, having read the diary three times through. The first time was a general read through, to try to understand the time, place, and people involved. The second time, he put together a time line of his father's life, to place the journal entries in relation to what he knew about the man. The third time had been an in-depth reading of the references, and he made copious notes as he read.

The Dowager Countess of Munsten had been the Dame d'Honneur to Her Majesty, a position that Keith concluded meant she was the senior lady-in-waiting. Obviously positions at court had changed, because he knew Allura didn't have anyone like that now. He had a chuckle when he saw a title 'mistress of the robes', and an even bigger laugh when he figured out that the woman who held it was Count Fredericks' Mother.

The Dowager Countess had plenty of time on her hands because Her Majesty was a very religious woman who prayed all the time. Keith saw references to an affair that His Majesty was having, and made the connection that Eimear's grandmother was the woman involved. Keith decided he would, before he returned the diary, scan the whole thing, both for his research, and because Eimear might like to see the comments about her grandmother.

His grandfather by the time of the diary was second in command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Arusian Defense forces. Keith had already discovered that the man was well known, and well respected in the government. By looking at the timeline he'd done of his father's life, Keith knew that he was seventeen or eighteen when the diary was written. If the information at the Chapter House had been correct, his father had only lived another year at the most.

What Keith pieced together was that his father was in love with the daughter of a big player in Arusian commerce. The man was not from Arus, but somewhere else, and there were unpleasant rumors about the way he'd made his money. He could see that while the man was invited places because of his money, no one really liked him, or trusted him.

The Countess noted that the daughter was very beautiful, and it was well known that the man wanted her to marry into a noble family in order to secure a title. Keith, reading between the lines decided that the girl's father had not liked Keith's father, because his title was not impressive enough. He also picked up, via the Countess' musings, that his grandfather did not like her because of whom and what her father was.

If not for one detail, in the diary, Keith would have dismissed the entire thing as some teenage romance that people with too much time on their hands gossiped about. The Countess had used the initials MH for the father, and EH for the daughter. Keith's mother's name had been Emeline, even though his father had called her Emma. It shook him that the woman in the diary might be his mother.

Keith got another shock when he remembered a book that had belonged to his mother. He had very few mementos of his parents, including a picture of them, a necklace of his mother's, and a book from which that she would read him stories. The book had always intrigued him, because it was written in a language he didn't know at all. Keith hadn't recognized the alphabet either, but languages had never been his strong suit. However, his mother had read stories to him from the book, so she had known the language.

The book, along with the other items was kept in a plain, unmarked box, which Keith stored in the closet of his quarters. Throughout the five years he had been hunting Black, the box had sat in his quarters on Arus, undisturbed. He went to the closet now, to retrieve the box, where he pulled out the book and opened it up. The stories had been aimed at children, Keith remembered, and his mother had read them in her beautiful voice.

Thinking about his mother reading to him brought forth another memory, this one of his father reading from the same book on the seldom occasion when his mother couldn't. They would tell Keith the stories in the language of earth, even though in the book they were written in the unknown language. He realized that his father had also known the language in the book.

Keith quickly looked through his notes from the diary, and found the fact that the girl and her father were not from Arus, but somewhere else. His remembered his mother had once told him that the book had belonged to her own mother. If his mother was the girl in the diary, the book had to be from her home planet, wherever that was.

The more he thought about them, the more the comments about the girl's father bothered him. He wondered why, in spite of his success and wealth, he was not held in high regard in Arusian society. As he reread the notes the Countess had made about this man, Keith didn't think he could necessarily put it down to snobbery. No, there was definitely something untrustworthy at least, and downright repugnant at worst. It made Keith sad to think that this man could be his grandfather.

Having not eaten at lunch, he grew hungry, so Keith went to the kitchen to make a sandwich and clear his head. The kitchen was empty, and he was glad for it because he didn't think he could make small talk. When he finished eating he decided he would go for a walk around the Castle grounds. Keith hoped the fresh air would clear his mind, and give him some ideas on how to process what he'd just learned.

It took nearly an hour before Keith headed back to the Castle, having thought of some lines of research to tackle. He decided to look up old news articles and see if he could put a name to the man at least. Keith figured that since he had the initials it would be fairly easy. He also thought that Pidge would somehow be able to identify the language in the book. The drawback to that idea was that he would probably have to wait until after Pidge's wedding and honeymoon.

Keith wasn't sure why everything in the Kingdom had to come to a halt over Larmina getting married. Fredericks and his crew had already orchestrated Allura's wedding not even three months earlier, so they were well-prepared for this wedding. It was clear to him though that his view point was in the minority on the matter.

He had gathered that some of the fuss was because Allura wanted to make sure that Larmina had the full 'royal' wedding treatment. The idea made Keith laugh, because Larmina probably couldn't have cared less, as she and Pidge had been sleeping together for quite some time now. Yet he knew that Larmina could 'flip the royal switch' pretty fast, and she was very close to her Aunt. Keith had seen them together on more than one occasion, and had come to the conclusion that weddings clouded the female mind.

He was dismayed to look up and find himself on the back side of the Castle, instead of by the Hanger Bay. He had obviously been walking without paying attention to where he was going. Keith was in a hurry to get inside, and didn't want to take the time to walk around to the other side of the building.

Keith looked at the terraces, which were outside of the Reception Rooms, and saw several French doors. He hoped that at least one of them was unlocked, so he could get into the Castle that way. There was a keypad panel access inside that he could have used, but there weren't any on the outer façade. He walked across the terraces and started trying doors, to see if one was unlocked.

It was the third door that yielded, and he opened it carefully, stepped inside, and then closed it after him. Keith saw that he was standing in a small alcove, and the curtains in front of him were closed, blocking his view of the room. As he thought about the various rooms, he figured out that he was in the 'White Salon' so called because of its white furniture and drapes, the walls, and fixtures lavishly ornamented with gold.

He was about to part the curtains and step into the room when he heard a door open and the sound of footsteps coming into the room. One pair sounded like women's heels lightly tapping on the floor, while the other set were more solid sounding. As the footsteps got further into the room he was able to recognize the voices, and his heart fell. Keith couldn't make himself known now, but if he opened the French doors to leave, they would know someone had been in the room. He swallowed hard, and now wished he had taken the time to go around to the other side of the Castle.

"I think we should do the rehearsal dinner and the after party in here, Larmina. The room is not too big, and I think the white color is very appropriate for wedding festivities." Allura told her niece, as they surveyed the room. She had on her navy blue and white outfit from earlier in the day, and her navy blue heels tapped lightly on the parquet floor as she walked into the center of the room.

Larmina was in her flight suit, and her boots made light, but solid sounds on the floor. "I think this will perfect, Aunt Allura! By way, how did your meeting in town go?" She asked her Aunt, as she surveyed the room.

"The lunch at the Assembly Hall was nice, and the speaker was interesting. The Community Garden was in great shape, and some of the produce is being used in the school lunch program." Allura told her niece, adding some more information about the garden. She had been glad that the lunch was good, because her interlude with Lance had worked up an appetite, but since she met with Keith before attending the meeting, she hadn't gotten the chance to grab a bit to eat.

Allura had been relived that Keith had been ok with their meeting starting late. She had not meant to lose track of time, but she'd fallen asleep for almost fifteen minutes. Lance had left very early in the morning, and once he was gone she couldn't get back to sleep. The bed had been too cold and lonely without him. Once they were done making love on the sheepskin, Lance's warmth and closeness had made it easy to take a quick nap. Allura had not been that concerned, knowing that Rigsby would handle Keith. Plus, she had reasoned, it wasn't like what he wanted to talk about was a critical situation.

"That is the one drawback to the art museum, Aunt Allura, they never schedule lunch meetings." Larmina observed to her Aunt, as she surveyed the room. She then returned to the subject at hand, and asked about the guests.

"For the rehearsal dinner I thought we would have a small family gathering first, in the library. It would be the team members, Chip, Bandor, Elena, Sven, and Romelle. We should invite Sissi too, since that would make Hunk very happy. Keith will probably want to bring Eimear, which is fine. However, the ushers will only be invited for dinner. Lance's parents will also join us in the library. Oh, we will have the Duke of Malden and his family, as well as Kikki and his family at the dinner." Allura ran down the guest list, and Larmina nodded her head.

"All that sounds good. I have enjoyed all the stories that Monk's Dad has told me, about him and my Father at the swamp. It makes putting up with Monk easier!" Larmina smiled, having enjoyed the time with the man who had been close to Prince Andrei. She had been thirteen when she'd come to live at the Castle full-time, after two years of hiding in caves after the devastation of the Western Dominion Garrison and the death of her Father. Her Mother had died when she was a baby, and her Father had taken her with him to all of his various commands, complete with nannies and tutors.

"It looks so different now than when I arrived five years ago." Larmina mused, looking around at the dazzling room, with the crystal chandeliers.

"I know Larmina, it is amazing. I remember wondering if my home would ever return to the way it was before the war." Allura reminisced, with a dreamy look on her face. Thinking about her home made her think of something she needed to talk to Larmina about.

"While we are on the subject of homes, I get the feeling that Pidge would like you two to have your own place?" Allura broached the topic with her niece in a light voice. Larmina looked at her, and saw that her Aunt was smiling. She had been concerned about the issue, knowing where Pidge was coming from.

"We've talked about it, and yes he would like us to have our own place. But town is too far away, Aunt Allura! He does most of his work at the castle." Larmina confessed to her Aunt, glad that they could talk about it. She had been concerned about how Allura would handle the idea of the newlyweds moving out of the castle.

"Larmina, there is a lot of extra land around the Castle, as you know. You and Pidge could build a house that would give you quick access to the Castle, but it would still be your own place." Allura offered, and watched as the young woman looked totally relived.

"Honestly, you'd be ok with it?" Larmina had never thought about that possibility before, and she was overwhelmed that her Aunt was offering such an easy solution to the problem. She told her a much, and Allura laughed.

"In case you haven't figured it out, men like to have their own domains. Poor Lance had to move into the fishbowl, but he's been a great sport about it. We are though, looking at purchasing a country house, to give us some privacy." Allura confided in her niece, thinking that she was the closest thing to a mother that Larmina had. She knew how much her niece and Pidge loved each other, and this would make the young man very happy.

"Aunt Allura, Lance loves you! I think he is perfectly happy just to be with you!" Larmina told her, having seen the couple together on lots of occasions. She was still amazed at how contented and happy her Aunt looked, when she and Lance were together. It was so different than before, when her Aunt had been so tensed all the time.

"He does Larmina, and I am so lucky to have him. He does so much to make my life better, so anything I can do for him I will! And I don't care what measures I have to take to insure his happiness! It is important for a man to be comfortable and loved in his house." Allura declared to her niece, smiling as she thought about how wonderful Lance was.

"Where are you thinking about a country house?" Larmina asked out of curiosity. She was also processing what her aunt had told her about men. She knew that she might have known about sex before her aunt, but the older woman knew how to keep her husband happy. Anyone who looked at Lance knew that the man was well loved.

"You know that we did that tour week before last, and took a break at a house on a lake. We went sailing every day, which was great fun. Lance and I also talked about how nice it was, when we were at his parent's place in South Carolina, to ride every day. I think we'll look in the tidewater area, as most of the houses have a dock, which would make a boat easy. Plus, we could have a small barn with several horses. There are several good riding clubs in the area too." Allura explained, and added that she would need Larmina to decorate the new facility, as she and Lance had loved what the young woman had done on the third floor.

They moved back to the center of the room, and after chatting about country house properties, got back to the menu for the rehearsal dinner. It was another ten minutes before the women left the room, shutting the door behind them firmly. Keith still waited almost five minutes before he parted the curtains slightly, wanting to make absolutely sure that the room was clear.

He walked carefully across the floor to the door to the hallway, which he slowly opened to peer into the hallway. Seeing that it was deserted, he walked down to his quarters and set the lock on the door. Keith wished he had not heard that private conversation, especially Allura talking about her feelings for Lance. Thinking about them as a couple made him feel angry and sad at the same time.

That morning he had thought it too unfair that Lance could override his appointment with Allura without a second thought. Even worse, Rigsby had obviously known what was going on when Keith had shown up at Allura's study. Keith thought about how easily Rigsby had gotten rid of him, instead of asking him to wait in the small anteroom.

It was also rather galling to listen to her feel bad for 'poor Lance' having to move into the 'fishbowl' of the royal quarters. His friend had never looked anything other than totally pleased and Keith had already seen how the man had worked both Allura's personal staff _and_ Coran to get his way.

Keith had seethed with anger earlier, about his friend's relationship with Allura, but now he just felt sad and jealous. He wished he had someone who loved him as much as Allura loved Lance. The waves of jealousies and sadness were made so much worse because of his feelings about Allura. He had really thought that he was over her, but he saw now that he had further to go.

He walked over to his closet and got out the box with the mementos of his family, and also the bottle of Johnny Walker he kept in the closet. He had replenished it after he'd come back from the Chapter House. Keith had been surprised at how much of the bottle he had drunk, after Allura had told him that she was marrying Lance.

He poured himself a very generous amount of scotch, and took a large swallow. Then he took another one. Keith decided that he would probably get drunk tonight, and would not want – or be able – to fly tomorrow. He sent a quick note to the team cancelling drills for tomorrow without giving a reason why. He was pretty sure they would not care, more likely they'd be glad that they had the day off. From Keith's point of view, everything else had come to a halt because of the wedding, so why not Voltron?

The next several hours were spent drinking scotch and looking at the items in the box. The necklace, an intricate gold filigree chain with a pendant, intrigued him, and as he thought about his mother, he could never picture her wearing it.

The pendant was an unusual design, and as Keith studied it, he wondered about is history. Its center was a swirling design of various colored enamels. It had the effect of one color melting into the next, while the light somehow penetrated the colors and made them glow. He'd never seen material like it before, and he decided it might be interesting to run an analysis on it.

The enameled circle sat on top of an animal that looked like a turtle, but only the head and legs. The piece was framed by scalloped edges with filigree work that echoed the pendant's gold chain. Keith actually got a magnifying glass out to better examine the piece. The workmanship was exquisite, and he knew it must have been very costly to make.

It was looking at the back side of the pendant that he saw the inscription. He couldn't understand it, and didn't recognize the letters at first. It came to him as he glanced at the bed and saw the book there; the writing on the pendant used the same alphabet as the book. Keith was shocked at first, but then decided that it made sense, if both items had belonged to his Mother's family.

Keith examined the pendant again, and noticed some other letters, also on the back. While the inscription was on the top of the back of the pendant, these were in the lower right edge. He was surprised to discover that they were not in the same alphabet as the inscription, but rather in the alphabet used by the languages systems of many planets, including Earth and Arus.

Peering carefully he made out 'J P C' and also two small shield type markings. One he had no idea what it meant, but the other one was very well known to him. It was the warrant that a store, or company, received if they were selected to provide goods and services to the royal family of Arus.

Keith remembered asking Allura about it once, in relation to an old tapestry in the Throne Room. She had told him that until the Drule war only certain businesses could deal with royalty. She had explained that the war at put a stop to it, and she had not re-established the tradition after peace was declared. Allura had said at the time that she didn't want the shops she patronized broadcast to the public. He laughed at the irony, remembering those words in juxtaposition with her shopping trip in Paris.

That brought up the whole issue of Allura and Lance. Between thinking about his family and drinking a great deal of scotch, he'd put the two of them out of his mind for the last several hours. He felt medicated enough now to think about them.

Keith was shocked that he had stood there and deliberately listened to a private conversation. Looking at it further though, he decided it wasn't any worse than what he'd done this morning, outside of Allura's study. Keith had wanted to know something that really didn't concern him, and he'd known how to find out. It was snooping, plain and simple, as he thought of how he used the layout of offices to covertly watch who came out of her study. The five years that he'd been a fugitive, hunting Black Lion, made that behavior easy for him to do. However, he wasn't that person anymore, or at least he shouldn't be.

He was very glad that he had a great deal of scotch in him, because if not it would hurt worse than it already did, as he thought about what Allura had said. Hearing her talk about how she would do anything to ensure Lance's happiness had reminded him of the conversation he'd had with Lance. They'd been talking about the royal tour, and how he felt that Allura needed more down time. Lance had also made the comment that she should enjoy the tours too. There had been love and care in Lance's voice; the same love and care he had heard in Allura's voice today.

They had a connection, and understood each other in a way that he never would. Keith had heard the term soulmate, but figured it was just emotional jargon. Now though, he remembered reading about the connection of the soul to the mind, in some of the theology books at the Chapter House. The soul is what defined the person, and everything flowed from it. One of the teachings he had read about involved the need for a Knight to have a pure soul. Sir Roulff had explained the idea of the soul, inside a person. He had also said that when love is true, the hearts and souls of the people are unified.

Thinking back to the wedding, he remembered a thought that he'd had about Lance and Allura not seeing anyone but each other. He realized now that they couldn't see anyone else, because they were connected in a way that couldn't be explained, only felt. Lance's nervousness had disappeared the minute Allura was by his side, Keith noticed, because their love for each other was their bond.

Keith saw now how Lance innately knew what Allura liked, because their hearts and minds were one. He remembered Lance asking him if he'd ever gone on one of the tours with Allura, and then telling him what they were like. Lance and Allura had spent five years building a relationship together that had nothing to do with him. Keith thought about what Eimear had told him about the couple and all the pictures he'd seen of them doing things together.

The day when Lance had stormed into her office and told her what a bitch she was being, she had listened to him because she knew that he was right. Allura knew it at the core of her being because of their shared connection. She and Lance had a bond that was forged tight, and he had now seen firsthand how they guarded it, as well as each other.

Lance and Allura not only completely honored and cherished each other, but they knew what to do for each other, and they viewed their bond as sacred. Keith saw what she'd been trying to tell him when she'd said that it would not have worked out between them. Allura wasn't throwing his feelings back in his face as he'd thought; rather she had been trying to make him see what she and Lance had.

Eimear had tried to explain it to him too, but he'd had no basis for understanding what she was telling him. She would understand, because she had been married before, while Keith had never had a single long term intimate relationship. Keith realized now that she'd been trying to tell him that she and Percy had not had that connection, but she would have liked it. As he came to that conclusion, he not only felt sorry for Eimear, but he felt stupid for having missed his opportunity with her again and again.

Keith felt very humble, and rather sad that he was on the outside looking in at what Allura and Lance had. He knew was envious of the relationship, and the fact that they made each other the priority of their lives. Allura had no problem with Lance upsetting her schedule because he was her husband, and in her eyes, he came first. Lance, for the same reason could stand up to Coran and anyone else - if it was to protect Allura.

It had been interesting to see the maternal side of Allura too, in the way she talked to Larmina. She had been tender and kind in explaining to the girl what men wanted. She had taken the time to make her niece aware of what was important in a marriage. Keith saw that he wanted exactly what Allura had said men want; a place of their own to feel comfortable and loved.

Keith had spent five years hunting Black Lion, and three years before that fighting a war. The realization came to him with all the intensity of a lightning bolt; he was done with that phase of his life, and ready for the next one. He wanted someone who would understand where he was coming from, and would care about him the same way Lance and Allura cared about each other. However, he now saw that it was a two way street, and he needed to be ready to give it in return, no matter what.

In looking at his life, through the half empty bottle of scotch, he saw that there were only two people that he had ever shared the facts of his early life with. One was his best friend now married to the woman that he had kept his life on hold for, and other one was a widow who had shown him a side of her that no one had seen before. Just before the scotch caught up to him, he realized that he was closer to woman he'd known for just four months than the one he'd known for eight years.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Author's Note: I wasn't going to do the wedding, but the characters all felt it was the best venue for them. I have learned to take their advice, so we all get to go to Pidge and Larmina's wedding. There will be some flashbacks to Lance and Allura's wedding too. The inspiration for the hymn Larmina walks down the aisle is the great English hymn 'Jerusalem'. Her wedding dress (if you didn't read, don't want to read, or don't remember Chapter 27 of 'All the Rights Moves') is Russian court dress, done in silver and white.**_

_**Wedding Scenes**_

The Cathedral was brightly lit, and smelled of fresh flowers and candle wax. The sunlight coming in from the dome picked up the gilt in the frescoes and statues, making them glitter. The old campaign banners, along with the banner for the Knights of Arus fluttered slowly as the air circulated. The red carpet had been rolled down the aisle, looking very bright.

The place was already full when Keith and Eimear arrived, and they waited to be seated. Daniel and Vince were back from the Academy and they, along with their roommates, were ushers. Pidge had ground his teeth about Monk, but when he'd met Monk's Dad, the Earl of Kilridge, he had relented. The man had been Larmina's Father's best friend, and she had cherished the stories he had shared with her.

In addition Monk's younger brother, Lord Renson Lindsay was a ring bearer, along with Eimear's son. Two days after his eavesdropping experience he'd been asked to come to Allura's study, as she said she wanted to talk to him. When he arrived she and Larmina were sitting on the sofa, and he became worried that they'd found out that he'd overheard their conversation. He breathed easier when they asked him if Eimear would let Aiden be in the wedding party.

Keith understood the underlying message in the question. If Aiden was in the wedding party it would be a very public statement about Keith's relationship with the boy's Mother. Keith now knew where he stood on the subject of the relationship, but wasn't sure about Eimear's position. He told Allura that he thought it would be wonderful to include Aiden, but that she needed to talk to Eimear about it first.

He wanted Allura to know that he had moved on from her, and was focused on Eimear. Keith had seen, after too much scotch, what a fool he had been with Eimear. He had been so busy obsessing about Allura and Lance that he'd almost lost her. They were already close in so many ways, but he wanted much more with her.

When he looked at Allura now he still saw her beauty and grace, and the thought had popped into his head, when he walked into the room, of her and Lance on the couch. But it was only for a minute, and then he found that he was able to talk to her quite naturally. Keith was sure it was because of his new awareness of his feelings for Eimear.

The woman had called Keith later that day, and told him about Allura's request. Eimear had then asked Keith what he thought of it; he appreciated that she had sought his opinion. Obliviously she knew what it would say about their relationship if Aiden was in the wedding party. Keith was able to truthfully tell her what a good idea he thought it was, but she had the final say. She had told him that she was honored and flattered at the request, and that Aiden would love to do it. Keith spent the rest of the day smiling, which caused the team to wonder what was going on.

Keith now stood in the vestibule as Eimear talked to her son for a couple of minutes. He admired how nice she looked as he waited. The pale lavender outfit suited her, and her hat was the same pale shade, but decorated with flowers in a darker shade of purple. She had a classical, cool beauty that reminded him of Greek statues, and he enjoyed how pleasant it was to be with her.

They had been seated for ten minutes when he heard a rustle in the crowd, and he realized that everyone was standing up. He saw the party from Pollux come down the aisle, led by Bandor. Elena was maid of honor, so Bandor walked by himself, followed by Fauk with Sven and Romelle bringing up the rear. Everyone bowed or curtseyed as Bandor and Fauk went by.

Keith thought that Bandor and his soon to be brother-in-law both looked every inch ruling sovereigns. Their uniforms were impeccable, and well tailored, while they carried themselves with confidence. It was especially apparent when one looked at Sven, who was escorting Romelle. She looked dazzling in a periwinkle blue outfit, with a hat that was a froth of lace in the same color, and two small birds for decoration on it.

Sven looked thin and tired compared to the rest of the party. His uniform looked slightly winkled, and he walked like a man who was very sad. The body language between Sven and Romelle was very telling, Keith thought. There was just a little too much distance between them, considering that they were married.

In fact, Sven had gone to take Romelle's arm to escort her down the aisle, but she had pulled it away. The gesture didn't surprise him, considering how things were between them. She was up in the family quarters with Erik and Nanny, while he was once again sleeping in the pilot's quarters. After his last visit to Pollux, he had planned on not coming to the wedding at all. However, Pidge had shown up on Crydor three days ago, with Keith, Lance, and Hunk. They had told him that they wanted him there, as their teammate. Sven reasoned that at least someone wanted him.

Romelle was walking next to Sven, but keeping a careful distance from him, while staring at Fauk's back. The man looked incredible, and his white and gold uniform showed off his broad shoulders. Fauk and Elena had arrived on the same ship as Bandor and Romelle. She had spent the entire flight trying to avoid meeting Fauk's eye, all the time enjoying how he was looking at her. She wasn't sure that she wanted to wait another six weeks, especially with how Sven was behaving.

Pidge, Chip, and Hunk were in an anteroom, waiting for everything to get under way. Chip was having way too much fun teasing Pidge, who was very nervous all of a sudden. Hunk reminded them of how nervous Lance had been the morning of his wedding, which made them laugh.

"Do you remember how worried he was about getting all of Allura's names right?" Pidge smiled at the memory. Allura had been named for several female relatives, and all her names were used in the service. He felt glad that Larmina only had three, Larmina Seraphina Valeria.

"Boy, my little brother a duke? Not bad!" Chip told Pidge, who smiled. He had been created Duke of Strelitz last week, and Chip was having fun with the whole thing. He decided now though that Hunk needed some of his attention.

"So Hunk, are you next? I wish I would have met the wondrous Sissi first." Chip asked teasingly. Hunk blushed and stammered, not sure what to say. He wasn't used to being the center of attention, especially on romantic matters.

"I'd be getting on with it Hunk, before her brothers' take you to task. Arusians are rather old fashioned you know. I've heard rumors too that the duke is even a better shot than his grandsons." Pidge informed Hunk, glad to have something to think about besides the ceremony.

"After the Olympics." Hunk confessed, getting a big smile on his face. In fact he and Sissi had indirectly talked about it, and she said she wanted to get through the games first. Hunk completely understood her reasoning, but he'd already asked her father for permission to propose. He had done it right after the music festival.

"Well, at least I'm getting good use out of my dress uniform." Chip laughed, slapping his twin brother on the back. Just then the Archbishop and his retinue came in, to bless the groom before the service started. Chip thought it interesting that his logical and orderly brother was getting married in a religious ceremony. Balto had long ago had various gods, but now science and technology ruled the planet.

Out in the vestibule the boys from the Academy were passing a flask back and forth, waiting on Lance and Allura to arrive. They would be the last two in the church before the bridal party showed up. Elena and Sissi were riding herd on the flower girls, who were the four and six year old great-granddaughters of Count Fredericks. The ring bearers were busy getting into a mock sword fight with branches from a plant they'd found.

Daniel was impressed with how Carsten was coming along, as he took a swig from the flask. Garrison was still a total dweeb, but Daniel knew he would not have passed physics without the guy's help. Monk was trying to chat up Elena, knowing better than to try his act on Sissi, who'd seen it before anyway. Elena privately thought she needed to introduce Monk to her brother; they would get along famously. She knew exactly what her brother was, and she and Bandor giggled about it a lot.

Vince was totally miserable, thinking about watching his idol marry the girl he loved. It wasn't helped by the fact that Monk and the other guys had spent the last week coming up with fantasies of what Pidge and Larmina were going to do on their honeymoon. Daniel was really tired of Vince thinking about Pidge having sex with Larmina, or imaging himself having sex with Larmina.

Just then they heard a cheer from outside, which was the signal the royal party had arrived. Coran, Lance, and Allura came into the church all looking happy. Coran had ridden with Allura and Lance on the way over, and he had told stories about their wedding. He'd escorted Allura down the aisle, and had almost tripped on the train of her dress.

Coran gave Lance a smile, before he left to take his seat in the front row. He had taken Lance's advice on the trip, and redone the schedule. The result had been a much more pleasant experience for everyone on the tour, since Allura wasn't stressed and tired. He still thought Lance was much to free with how he touched her in public, but as Fredericks pointed out, if Allura didn't mind, it wasn't any of their concern.

In the vestibule great fun was being had by all. Allura was glad to have Daniel and Vince back with the team, but she was able to see that the time at the Academy had been good for the boys. Aiden and Renson were best buddies, and having the time of their lives. Renson had been impressed that Aiden's mother was dating the Black Lion pilot, while Aiden thought it was great that Renson had such a cool older brother.

Monk and his friends had rough housed and teased the two younger boys, making them feel part of what was going on. Renson was able to explain so much to Aiden, having spent lots of time around Monk and his friends. Aiden got quite an education that morning, including what was in the silver thing the older boys were passing around. They decided that they needed to room together when they got to the Military Academy.

Keith heard the organist segue from baroque background music to a dramatic flourish of all chords on the organ. He understood that the royal anthem was about to start, and he stood up along with the rest of the congregation. He had planned on looking straight ahead, until the royal couple passed him, but his good intentions failed him. Keith craned his neck, like everyone else, as they stood at the back of the Cathedral.

Allura looked like both the past and present in his mind, as he saw her. She had on a shimmering pink coat dress, trimmed at the hem, cuffs, and square cut neck with white lace. Around her neck was a four strand pearl choker, with vertical diamond bars, while her earrings were pearl drops accented with diamonds. Her hat was an offset fluff of pale pink feathers that echoed her dress. Her gold hair was haloed around her face, and her eyes blazed dark blue.

It was the same impression of pink, white, gold, and blue, that he had seen all those years ago, but done in a different medium. She had her hand on Lance's arm, and the black of his dress uniform was the perfect foil for the pale pinkness of her dress. Keith saw that the uniform was perfectly tailored to his friend, the medals arrayed in absolute precision, and his gold lion badge, hanging from its scarlet ribbon, contrasted against the blue sash of the order of King Alfor. Lance had the same look that Bandor and Fauk had, Keith noticed; confident and sure of himself.

They arrived at the pew, and Allura smiled at him and Eimear, while Keith smiled and bowed to her. Lance stepped back slightly, to allow Allura to go into the pew first. As he did so he put his hand on her back and Allura looked up at him with love in her eyes. Before it would have torn at his heart, to see her looking at Lance like that, but now he understood. He also finally saw that she wasn't that fifteen year old girl on the staircase anymore.

Keith noticed that Eimear was watching him with concern, and he was touched by it. He smiled at her, and leaning over whispered in her ear "How many birds do you think gave up their tail feathers for that hat?" She looked up at him with wide eyes, and then saw the laughter in his eyes. Keith watched as she suppressed a giggle, but he felt her whole body relax as she stood next to him.

The bells started to ring, signaling that Larmina had arrived at the Cathedral. Keith watched as Pidge, Chip, and Hunk followed the Archbishop from the vestibule to the altar. He thought about how three months ago he had been standing there Lance, and wondered if Pidge was as nervous as Lance had been. He might look like the perfect Prince Consort now, but three months ago he'd been such a mess that Firth needed to do his uniform, while drilling him on Allura's six names. He also reflected on his performance as best man, and was sure that Chip was doing a better job than he'd done.

Fredericks had insisted on giving Larmina away, and she would not have had anything else. They left the Castle in an open carriage, crowds cheering along the way. Arriving at the Cathedral she had stopped long enough for pictures before she went inside to greet her attendants. The flower girls launched themselves at her, while the boys had looked at her with admiration. Daniel knew all the pain Vince was feeling, and felt bad for him.

Everyone bowed to her, and then Fredericks organized the procession, as he signaled the organist. The Arusian National Hymn started to play, and she felt very humble. She was wearing the dress that all women, marrying into or out of the royal house wore. In her case she had the lace veil her Mother had worn, anchored by the tiara her Aunt had given her on her eighteenth birthday. The lace veil was from her Mother's home planet of Falcos, a planet long gone but known for their lace.

The dress was white with heavy silver embroidery, a low cut bodice, and cut open V type sleeves. It required a corset, and old fashioned underwear. Inside the skirt the name of every bride who wore it was recorded, on white satin ribbon with blue embroidery. When she was getting dressed, with her Aunt's help, she had looked at the ribbons inside the skirt.

She and Allura had giggled about Allura's name in the dress, and then hugged each other as they had traced Larmina's mother's name, and then the name of Allura's mother, who was Larmina's grandmother. Larmina felt great awe, and pride knowing that she was part of such a legacy. She also said a silent prayer in honor of her Aunt, who had seen so much loss and destruction, and yet had preserved with grace and courage.

Inside the Cathedral Allura heard the start of the Arusian hymn, and turned to look at Lance as she went to stand up. Lance extended his hand, smiling at her with adoration as he did so.

"Darling, this is a whole lot less nerve wracking than our wedding." Lance whispered in her ear, and she leaned closer to him, nodding her head as she did so. He nuzzled against her ear very lightly, and Allie didn't care what anyone thought as she leaned even closer against him, loving the way he felt.

The ushers came down first, with Keith noticing that the dress uniform for New West Point, that Daniel and Vince wore, had nothing on the dress uniform for the Arusian Military Academy. The dark green color was offset with gold braid and fur trimmed capes. The ushers were followed by Renson and Aiden in the dress uniform of the military prep school, and Keith felt Eimear swell with pride when she saw her son.

The flower girls came next, all white and fluffy, carrying baskets of flowers that they scattered petals from. Then it was Sissi's turn to walk down the aisle, and Keith had to smile as he looked at Hunk, as he watched Sissi come down the red carpet.

She wore the same white silk that the flower girls had worn, with the lace underskirt and collar. Her dress though was floor length, with a gold silk sash. Her brown hair was offset by a magnificent tiara of diamonds and amber. It was old, historic, and one of a kind, the amber coming from the mines on the family estate. Her grandfather, the Duke of Malden, had been over the moon that his favorite and only granddaughter was going to be an attendant to a royal bride. He had offered the ducal tiara with great flourish for the occasion.

Princess Elena of Odeos came next, also in white silk but with a white sash to signify her status as maid of honor. Her brother, Prince Fauk, had been very pleased when Bandor had presented her with the diamond diadem of the royal house of Pollux, to wear. Fauk beamed as his sister walked by, and then smiled at Bandor and Romelle. Sven didn't even try to catch the prince's eye.

Pidge was waiting at the altar railing, with Chip and Hunk, listening to the great hymn. He had always admired how the chords and the notes worked so well together. He was also looking forward to seeing Larmina again. She had banned him from her room last night, saying that it wouldn't be right for them to have sex the night before the wedding.

Larmina came down the aisle on Fredericks' arm, and Pidge was flabbergasted at how wonderful she looked. Chip had to dig a sharp elbow into his side, to make him respond as she came up next to him. Pidge held out his arm, as Fredericks put her hand on it, giving the young man a big smile. She flashed a grateful smile at Fredericks, before she and Pidge went up on the altar, followed by Chip and Elena. They bowed to the Archbishop, who blessed them, and started the ceremony.

It was during the vows that Lance took Allie's left hand, and interlaced it with his right hand. The platinum miniature, with its ruby and diamond center echoed the ring he wore, from New West Point. He had presented it to her with great reverence, amazed that she had chosen him for her husband. He had loved her since the first time they had seen each other, all those years ago.

Keith, he knew, saw a beautiful fairy tale princess, protected by a golden halo. Lance though had seen a strong young woman of great heart who understood what her duty was to her Kingdom. She met everything head on, with no illusions about any of it. It was why they'd always had the relationship they'd had; they were both realists.

Lance had also understood how Keith's admiration could be very heady to a sheltered teenage girl. Keith was the perfect knight, who never did anything wrong, and Lance had always been a little in awe of his friend's uprightness. He had seen how that had all gone out the window when Keith had decided to go on his quest, with no warning to Allura. He had trusted Lance to explain it to her, and that had been the only time he had disliked Keith.

Lance thought about the years that he had stood by her side, adoring her with his whole heart, and yet knowing his best friend felt the same way about her. Lance had owed so much to Keith, and he had felt bad about the feelings he'd had for the woman his friend loved. The five years had been so hard for both of them, and he wished he would have found the courage sooner to speak to her.

Allura felt him take her hand, and interlace their fingers together, and she looked at him adoringly. They had shared so much together, and she had once woken up in a cold sweat that she'd almost thrown it all away. Lance had not woken up, thankfully she thought, as she cuddled up next to him, putting her leg over his.

Now she looked at him, as the vows were being said and she reached up and whispered in his ear "I love you so much, and would say the same vows to you now, that I said at our wedding." Lance smiled at her, feeling her soft breath against his ear. He nodded his head at her as he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. He decided he would have to tell her later his impression when he had first seen her all those years ago.

Keith watched Lance and Allura, and thought about how he would have felt three days ago, as opposed to now. He was happy that they had each other, knowing that they would always take care of the other. He remembered telling Allura, when she'd told him about her and Lance, that he couldn't say that he was happy for them. Now, though he could see it, and made a mental note to have that conversation with them. First though, he needed to have a conversation with Eimear. He wanted a relationship like that with Eimear, and he knew that he was ready for it now.

He had been unsure at first how to go about it, and then he realized he just needed to be honest with her about what was going on with him. If she felt the same way about him that he did about her, the relationship would flow. If it didn't flow, then it wasn't meant to be. He was also going to take Lance's advice.

Lance definitely understood the female sex, and his advice was worth listening to. Keith would talk to her again about the trip, and phrase it that he wanted to do something fun with her, to make her laugh. That last idea popped into his head, as he thought about how Lance was always making Allura laugh, and Pidge was good at getting Larmina to giggle, and she was hardly the giggling type.

Keith looked over at Eimear, listening to the sermon, and he thought how beautiful she was. He reached over and took her hand, holding it in his own. She looked at him with wide eyes for a moment, and then smiled at him. He smiled back at her, as he held her hand a little tighter. Keith knew that this wedding was a much happier experience than the last one he'd been to.

The wedding reception involved a receiving line, formal sit down lunch, and some dancing. The whole thing was done by 4:00pm, but the bridal couple had left by 2:00pm. Allura and Lance had invited everyone staying at the Castle, along with the wedding party and family to a buffet supper at 7:00pm. Only the ring bearers and flower girls would not be there for the supper.

Allura had enjoyed the reception, giggling with Lance that they had missed most of theirs. They ate all their food, enjoyed the cake, and danced a great deal. Allie loved dancing with Lance, and once they got done with the formal court dances, they moved on to foxtrots, Peabody's, waltzes, and even shagging, a specialty well known in the Carolinas.

She was very impressed with how well Fauk and Monk both waltzed with her, making it just one degree off from being too familiar. Allura made it a point to dance with the boys from the Arusian Military Academy, and she could see that the dance classes that were part of the curriculum had paid off.

It was getting to the end of the reception, and she was dancing with Lance's Father, while he danced with his Mother. Andrew danced as well as Lance, and she enjoyed talking with him. Allura had always been close to Lance's parents, appreciating their insight since she'd lost her parents so young.

"Excuse me, but I would like to cut in?" Allie heard Lance say, and Andrew laughed and bowed to excuse himself. He really wanted to dance with his wife anyway, as much as he adored his son's wife. They were perfect together, he thought, and was glad that everything had worked out.

"I know where you get your charm from Lance." She told him, as she looked up at him. Just then the music ended, and they walked over to the edge of the floor.

"You are too kind, Allie!" Lance said and kissed her on the forehead, he then added "I bet you are dead on your feet by now. You were up at 5:00am, and have been going non-stop ever since. Would you like me to have them do the closing waltz and we could go upstairs?" Lance asked, with his arm still around her shoulders.

Keith was talking with Sven, who'd been sitting at a table by himself. Eimear was off talking to several ladies that she knew. He had watched Allura dance with Andrew, and then Lance cut in; he admired how well father and son danced. Keith saw Lance kiss Allura on the forehead, and then ask her something, to which she smiled and nodded. Lance went over to talk to Fredericks for a moment and then came back, and put his arm back around Allie.

"I think someone needs to tell Lance that Allura is his wife, not his dog. Every time I see them, he is holding her or petting her." Sven observed in a sour voice. He wasn't in the mood to watch couples together. Sven had just watched Fauk dance with his wife, and he had felt the prince had kept his hands on her just a little too long after the music ended.

"The general feeling on that is that if Allura doesn't mind, it is no one else's business." Keith said, finding it odd that Sven thought it was fine to show affection to your dog, but not your wife. He looked at Sven, who didn't look good physically, or mentally. Keith asked his friend if Pidge's treatment was working, and was shocked at what Sven told him.

"I stopped doing them; I mean what is the point. It is not like I have anyone who cares if I live or not." Sven announced, and Keith felt a great sadness wash over him.

"Sven, but what about your son? Don't you think Erik needs a Father?" Keith asked him, feeling almost angry now, as he thought about Sven turning his back on his son. Keith knew what it was like to grow up without a father, and he told Sven that.

"But Romelle doesn't want me in his life. She has made all these arrangements without me." Sven declared, hitting the table with his fist. Keith had heard all about the house issue, and could see that his friend's stubborn streak had been activated.

"My understanding is that if you fix up your house, Erik would be welcome to stay with you." Keith ventured, having had the chance to talk to Romelle the first day she arrived. He had not liked the feeling he'd come away with, about her marriage. However he had been impressed with how calm Romelle was, and the nice things she said about wanting Sven in Erik's life. He told the man that now.

"She just wants me to spend a lot of money to turn the house into her definition of suitable, and not let me do it at my own pace. Why should I pay people to do work I could do myself?" Sven asked, getting a tight set to his lips. Keith wanted to shake his head at his friend's well known thrift ethic. Pidge had told him about the house, and Keith was willing to trust what Pidge said.

"Sven, would it really kill you to meet her halfway on something?" Keith asked the Viking, starting to feel sympathy for Romelle, and better understanding Bandor's contempt towards the man. As much Keith was not fond of extended periods in Bandor's company, he was starting to see why Bandor felt the way he did. It was hard work dealing with Sven.

"It's always all about her with everyone! What about me? She isn't meeting me halfway on anything! I don't want to live in some fancy house, all done up with flowers. I don't want to pay people to do things I can do myself, and Romelle should be spending time with Erik, not Nanny." Sven declared, hitting the table with his fist again. Keith was hoping the table was sturdy as the fist made contact with it.

"Are you really going to let being stubborn and cheap get in the way of your relationship with your son?" Keith asked him in shock, starting to wonder if the haggerium had affected his brain more than they thought. As he reflected on that he realized that his friend was just being what he was, stubborn and proud. Sven wanted to do things his way, and expected his wife to go along with him on it all, because that is what he had grown up with.

Keith thought about how easy it was to fall back on what you know, instead of trying something different. He had almost made that mistake with Eimear, and he was sad to see what his friend was doing. He tried to tell Sven that, but the man wouldn't listen, being too wrapped up in being mad at Romelle. Keith excused himself, feeling bad for Erik as he did so.

"Sven, at the end of the day you will be sitting on Crydor, cold and alone because it has to be your way or the highway. I just hope you realize that you are closing yourself off from your son, and when he gets old enough he will know that. How do you think he will feel about you then?" Keith said, as he stood up and left the table. Sven watched him go, wondering why no one ever thought about his point of view.

Keith went and found Eimear, recognizing the intro for the last waltz; the same music was always played to close out the event. They danced together, and he held her close, telling her how beautiful she was. He didn't even pay any attention to Lance and Allura until the royal anthem played, and he bowed as they left the room.

"Eimear, we have a while until the party tonight. Could we go to your house and spend some time together?" Keith asked deliberately, trying to sound calm. Eimear looked up at him, trying to understand what was going on. She had been taken aback when he'd held her hand during the ceremony, and she'd felt the change in his body language. Eimear sensed that he wasn't thinking about his friends, but instead was focusing on her.

"Keith, I'd like that a lot." She looked up at him; hoping things were going to work out after all.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Author's Note: This chapter is very long, but I wanted to keep the story moving. Also, the end of the chapter is the beginning for my next story 'Perils of Pollux' (tentative title). I am hoping to start it in October, after I wrap up 'A Knight's Journey'.**_

_**KathDMD: Prince Fauk is back.**_

_**WARNING: Major lemon alert.**_

_**Wedding After Party**_

Allura and Lance danced the last waltz, and then left to go upstairs to their room, the royal anthem playing as they left the ballroom. Getting there, Allie kicked off her heels, and slid out of her pantyhose quite happily. Lance was taking off his decorations and jacket, but stopped to watch what she was doing.

"Enjoying the show?' She said, feeling his slow perusal of her legs as she got the hose off. He nodded his head, and finished getting his jacket, as well as his shoes and socks off.

"Allie, you looked so beautiful today! It reminded me of the first time I saw you, all those years ago." Lance said, as he came over to her. She was trying to undo the clasp of the pearl choker. He did it for her, lightly brushing the nape of her neck as he did so. She felt shivers go up and down her spine, and she bent her head slightly as he continued to stroke her nape.

Lance put the pearl choker down on her dressing table, next to where he had put his sash, and lion badge. He moved his hands from her neck to her shoulders, massaging them deeply. Allie felt waves of pleasure, desire, and exhaustion all wash over her at the same time. She melted against his body, letting him take her weight.

"Sugar, why did you get up so early?" Lance asked in his slow drawl, as his hands moved over her shoulders.

"Larmina needed me, I just knew it. On my wedding day, I woke up an hour before I needed to, and spent the time by myself, excited and terrified at the same time. Larmina was doing the same thing." Allie finished, and Lance smiled as he lowered his lips to her ear.

"I still have the note you wrote me that morning, Allie; I re-read it all the time. Did you talk to her about sex?" Lance said with a deep throated laugh as he lightly kissed her neck below the ear.

"Hardly! No, we looked inside the wedding dress, at all the names there. I told her about her Mother's wedding day, and about her Father." Allie sighed with great sadness. Lance felt so bad for her, this woman who had known so much loss, and yet had never given up hope.

"Allie, the first time I saw you, on that staircase, do you know what I saw?" Lance asked taking a deep breath as he slowly turned her to face him. She looked up at him, seeing the love shining in his soft brown eyes. Allie tilted her head, silently asking the question of what he'd seen.

"I saw a strong young woman who had held her planet together, in spite of overwhelming odds. You protected your house, and the honor of your kingdom. You were fearless, with fire in your eyes. Allie, I fell in love so hard it hurt." Lance told her now, remembering what he'd been thinking during the ceremony.

"Lance, I wish I had not been such a fool." She almost cried, but Lance put his finger on her lips.

"I think it all happened for a purpose, Allie. We found out how important we are to each other, and you became so much closer to your niece. I think your brother and his wife are very happy at how everything has worked out. I know I am, because I will never take you for granted!" Lance stated with great force.

"Honey, I'll tell you now that the six months, from when Keith came back, until you came down to my room, was the most awful time of my life. I didn't want to stand in your way of picking Keith, but I dreaded it so much at the same time." It took everything for Lance to confess that, but he knew that he had to get it off of his chest. He was relieved when Allie reached up to kiss him.

The kiss was incredible and deep, but he could also feel how tired she was; it had been a long day of great emotions for her. He broke off the kiss and looked at her gently, with love.

"Sugar, why don't you get that dress off, and I will brush out your hair; then I think you need a nice hot bath." Lance informed her, getting a mischievous smile on his face. It turned into a wicked grin when she took the dress off and he saw the black lace body suit, which they'd bought in Paris.

"Darling, you stood next to me in church, wearing only that under your dress?" Lance exclaimed, pretending to be scandalized. He added "What did Dorcas think when you get dressed this morning?" Allie laughed delightfully at his reaction.

"I was all dressed before she came in to do my hair; it is a new routine now for us." She explained with a sly grin, and Lance smiled happily knowing that he was the only one who got to see her in her underwear. Allie sat down at her dressing table, and Lance moved his hands to her head, slowly pulling the pins out of her hair. His fingers barely grazed her scalp as he did so, and she felt the shivers down her spine.

"Not sure why you needed all these pins, I think there is enough hair spray in here to hold the hair up on its own!" Lance remarked, as he took the brush and slowly started working on each section of the hair. He was methodical and gentle, and had it all brushed out in no time. He looked at her, the gold hair splaying over the shoulders, against the creamy skin and the black lace.

"Sugar, you are the most incredible woman I have ever met! You affect me on so many levels, physical, emotional, mental, I am in awe of you." Lance told her, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed as he looked at her.

She got a very satisfied grin, as she turned to look at him. She reached up, and took his head in her hands, lightly ruffling his hair. "Lance McClain, I am overwhelmed by you! I've never told you before, but about a month after our marriage, I woke up in a cold sweat. It was because I had a nightmare that I'd thrown away what we had, and it made me so sad. I was relieved when you didn't wake up, and snuggled as close to you as possible." Allie confessed in a serious voice.

They held each other very tightly for a while, and then Lance stood up, taking her hand. They went into the bathroom, and Lance had her sit on a small stool while he went over to the bathtub and started the water running. He then put her favorite lavender bath salts in the water, and smiled at her.

"Why don't you get in and get comfortable and I will be back in just a minute, ok?" He suggested, and she nodded her head, feeling happy, relaxed, and tired all at the same time. She was surprised he didn't want to watch her take the body suit off, but then decided he was being considerate with her.

She pinned her hair up, and got in to the tub, loving how good it felt. The water was hot, and the lavender smelled heavenly. There was a pillow for her to rest her head against, and she stretched out fully.

"Would M'lady like a glass of limencello?" Lance came back into the bathroom, bearing a beautiful Irish crystal glass with the pale yellow liquid in it. She looked up at him in wonder, and almost wanted to cry at how happy she was.

"Darling, I hope those are tears of joy and exhaustion!" Lance murmured, as he sat down on the stool next to the tub. He was still in his dress shirt, but it was halfway unbuttoned, and he'd taken off his dress pants, to reveal his boxers. Allie noticed that they were red silk with a navy and cream design. She'd bought them, and several other pairs, as a surprise when she'd been shopping in Paris.

"Lance, you do so much for me! Thank you and I love you more than you could ever imagine." Allie declared, as she took the glass from him. He made her life so much better, and so much richer, than it had been before. It was the small details, but he had taught her that the small details were what mattered. She had told him once about her Father's comment, about an empty bucket can't help anyone and he had laughed. Lance had said that was an old southern saying from his neck of the woods. She realized then that her Father had known what her choice would be.

They chatted leisurely about the wedding and the reception, and when she finished her drink Lance helped to wash her hair. He took his time as he rubbed her scalp, and then slowly moved down to the rest of her body. Allie was suddenly not so exhausted anymore, and she looked at Lance with desire in her eyes.

"Sugar, I can tell by your eyes what you are thinking! Can I ask if you want to try the tub?" Lance gave her a suggestive look, and she sat up just enough for him to see the tops of her breasts. He almost groaned as he saw the pink nipples against the white bubbles.

"Lance, we tried the tub once, and it was very tight!" Allie reminded him with a giggle, and that Lance had suggested remodeling the bathroom, to accommodate a bigger tub. "Why don't you dry me off, and then we can go into the bedroom. The bed is very comfortable." Her breathy voice was low and soft, and Lance went to get her a towel.

Lance helped her out of the tub, toweled her off, and then he carried her into the bedroom. He placed her against the pillows of the turned down bed. Allie watched him take his shirt off, and his boxers, noticing with satisfaction that he was already hard. She looked admiringly at his body, as he came into bed with her.

"You are so sexy, Lance." Allie managed to get out, before he started kissing her hard and deep. She moved her hands over his body, while he wrapped his in her wet hair, pressing her mouth even closer to hers. She let her tongue intertwine with his, and then she plunged into his mouth as hard as he'd had into hers. Lance moved his mouth to her neck, and she purred as her body molded itself to his. He was nibbling and licking her neck, the gentle tugs sending bolts of heat to her core.

Allie slowly let her hands move down over his stomach, and around to his rear. She then took one of her hands and wrapped it around his shaft. He growled as she did so, and when she started to move her hand up and down he moaned loudly. Lance felt her tighten, loosen, and then tighten her delicate fingers in time to his movements.

The feelings were overwhelming his body, and by the fifth time he was afraid he was going to come right there. He moaned loudly, and bit hard on her neck, sucking as he worked on stopping his climax. "Sugar, you need to stop, or it will be all over." Lance managed to pant, and he felt her remove her hand, giggling as she did so.

"You told me I was a naughty tease, honey." She murmured, as Lance moved down her neck to her chest, licking the creamy skin like it was vanilla ice cream. Allie purred in a low throaty voice as he approached her breasts. Her hands were on his back, her fingers playing over the hard muscles, as she pressed back against the pillows, loving what he was doing to her.

Lance's tongue was slowly licking up the side of her breast, and then stopping just short of her nipple. It would glide back down, and then start up again, as he went around her whole breast. By now she was groaning, wanting him to suck her nipple badly. Allie moved her body so that her nipple was in his mouth, and he growled before he took it and sucked hard on the pink tip.

Allie mewled and moved her hands to his hair, pushing her breast further into his mouth as he lightly nibbled on the hardened tip. Lance heard her moan loudly, as she pressed against him. He licked, sucked, and nibbled for several more minutes, before moving to the other breast, where he repeated the whole scenario again.

By now she was mewling with overwhelming desire, feeling hot and wet in her core. Lance moved one of his hands down to her crotch, and felt her open and press against his hand. He barely touched her before she was hit with a wave of pleasure that caused her body to tremble. Lance looked at her, open mouth and breathing hard, fully aroused, all for him.

Lance moved his mouth up to kiss her, as he pressed his cock against her opening, feeling the heat and the wetness draw him in. As his tongue plunged into her mouth, he entered her hard and fast, enjoying how she rose up to meet him. Allie moved to allow him deeper access, and then moaned loudly when he hit her pleasure spot right at the top.

His growls, along with his thrusts were the most incredible sensation, and she mewled and purred as he thrust harder and faster into her. "This feels so good, please Lance, more." Allie begged, and then yelped when he responded with even deeper thrusts. Her moans, and her nails digging into his rear end were pushing him closer, but he wanted her to climax first.

That intention almost went out the window when he felt her tighten around him as he reached his top thrust. He started kissing and biting her neck hard, and then moved to her breast, causing her to writhe even more against him. Allie shifted slightly, and felt his cock find the center of her core. She climaxed with a loud scream, calling his name as she clung to him while the waves of pleasure washed over her.

Lance waited until she was almost done, and then let his body have the release that it wanted. He pumped his juices into her, and Allie felt the warmth suffuse her body. Before she realized it, she was having a second orgasm that was as intense as the first one. When it was done, they held each other tightly as they caught the breaths.

"Have I told you that I love you, Allie?" Lance asked sleepily, as he cuddled with her. She had her head against his chest, and he felt her nod her head. "Lance, I love you to." She managed to get out, before she fell fast asleep.

It was a while later, and Allie turned over as she woke up. She realized that she was in bed, naked against Lance. She smelled lavender, and the scent of her husband, remembering what had happened. She sighed happily, and snuggled against him, adjusting her head some as she did so. Allie happened to glance over at the night stand and saw what time the clock showed. She sat bolt upright, all set to jump out of bed, but Lance's hand on her arm restrained her.

"Sugar, are you having a bad dream?" Lance asked in a sleepily voice, as he ran his hand up and down her arm.

"I wish it was a dream! Lance, it's almost 7:00pm, and we're not downstairs. All those people are coming for the after party." Allie was almost hyperventilating, thinking about everything that needed to be done. Lance reached for her, and pulled her back under the covers. He stroked her messy, curly hair slowly.

"Darling, it is all taken care of. I actually woke up about an hour ago, and saw that you were sound asleep." Lance started to say, and then added "Allie, did you know that when you sleep you snuffle? It isn't a snore, just a very cute little snuffle?" He had laughter in his voice, and she went to sit up but he tightened his grip on her.

"I figured that since you were so tired, you needed your sleep. I talked to Fredericks and my mother about the buffet supper. They will take care of everything until we get there." Lance finished, and Allie was all set to say something else, but he interrupted her "My mother, if any asks where we are, will explain that you had to deal with several matters that came up at the last moment."

Allie looked at him with wonder, amazed that he had taken care of it all for her. She told him that, and kissed him. She knew that his mother would know exactly what to say, Claire having had lots of practice in diplomatic settings.

"These matters that suddenly came up, is it possible it is just one?" Allie purred as she reached down and let her fingers lightly touch his hardening cock. Lance groaned with pleasure, as he gave her a big smile.

They ended up being over forty-five minutes late for the party, Allura's hair, and neck having been an issue. When Allura had gone to get dressed she saw several large, red spots on her neck, and grinned ruefully when she thought about how they'd gotten there. However, she didn't want anyone else to see them, so she'd had to hunt for a scarf to put on.

Her hair had been another issue, having dried very curly. She ended up putting it up in a loose chignon, to save time. A grey wool skirt and soft blue sweater completed her outfit, and Lance thought she looked great. He also felt rather bad about her neck, and she had told him that he could make it up to her later.

Daniel and Vince, along with the boys from the Academy were sitting at a table in the corner, and they watched Allura and Lance come in. "I bet he was banging her before they came down, and that is why they are late." Monk observed as he watched the couple talk to Lance's parents.

"Honestly, the woman is your sovereign, and I don't think you should be talking about her that way." Garrison observed, not to Daniel's surprise. Carsten however agreed with Monk, adding that she was hot looking.

"Those Lion pilots get all the women. Just think of how much sex you two will have when you finally get lions." Biff told Daniel and Vince, with awe in his voice. Porter though, now that his sister was dating one of those pilots did not care for the conversation, and said as much.

"Are you thinking that the wondrous Sissi is having sex?" Monk teased Porter, who got a horrified look on his face. Daniel thought it was all too funny, and would have enjoyed it more if Vince was not in despair over Larmina and Pidge. He wasn't sure how much more of Vince he could take, and was afraid the honeymoon would push him over the edge.

Romelle and Fauk had come to the party separately, but met up quickly once there. She liked how he was charming, social, and pleasant to be with. After feeling like she was walking on eggshells with Sven, Fauk was a relief. They were now going through the food line, appearing to casually chat while getting food. In reality, Fauk was telling her who in the room had spent the afternoon having sex.

"Now your cousin and her husband did it twice, at least I bet. He must have been rough too, because she has a scarf around her neck to hide the marks. However, she doesn't care as she is happy and satisfied." Fauk spoke in knowing tones as he looked Lance and Allura, and Romelle got wide eyed at what the man was saying. She had just thought the scarf was a pretty fashion accessory, and had been thinking about getting one for herself. Now she wondered what it would be like to have the kind of sex Fauk was talking about.

"Romy, we should go sit with your husband, who is sitting by himself. I see that Bandor and Elena are with the other two lion pilots and their girl friends." Fauk looked at another table, and she saw the couple with Hunk, the girl who was the bridesmaid, and the brother of the groom. There was another girl there, but Romelle didn't recognize her. In fact the girl was a friend of Sissi's, who had met Chip at the wedding. They were all hitting it off great, and Chip was thinking that maybe he needed to visit his brother more often.

"I thought you didn't care for my husband." Romelle queried, having seen how Fauk treated the man. She couldn't blame him though, as Sven was just as bad to Fauk. She was also thinking of how Fauk called her Romy; she rather liked it.

"Your husband ought to be drawn and quartered for his behavior to you, in my opinion, which is why I do not care for him. But if we sit together, while he sits by himself people will talk, and neither of us wants that. If we go sit with him, we will look like a happy family, and no one will think it weird later if I spend time with you, after having spent time with you and your husband." Fauk laid out his logic in precise tones, and she couldn't fault it.

"Fauk, one little problem though; my husband hates you and hates social settings. I'm surprised he is even here." Romelle gave a heavy sigh as she thought past incidents with Sven. His moodiness was epic, and she wasn't sure she wanted her evening ruined by a display of it.

"I have been trained to talk to anyone, no matter how unpleasant, Romy. If he doesn't hold up his end of the conversation, or stomps off, it will just reflect poorly on him." Fauk did not want to add that it would make her look even better in comparison. It would also give her additional cause, down the road, if she decided to bale on the marriage. He thought it too horrid that a woman like her was married to a man like that.

Sven was sitting at a table by himself, not really feeling social. Hunk and Chip had tried to wave him over, but he saw that they both had girls with them. He was sure that he would add nothing to the conversation, so he pretended not to see them. Instead he got a big plate of food, and sat at an empty table. He decided he had made the right decision when he saw Elena and Bandor go sit at the table.

He had spent the time, after the reception, thinking about what Keith had told him. He was angry with Keith that the man seemed to be taking Romelle's side in the issue. Sven had also not liked how Keith had brought Erik into the discussion. He was tired of everyone telling him his shortcomings, and what he was doing wrong. A big part of the reason he was here now was because Bandor had almost ordered him to show up. He wasn't happy with the rumors that were floating around, about his sister's marriage.

"Sven, I have brought your wife to have dinner with you." Fauk announced, as they arrived at Sven's table. He added "I would like to join you also, since my sister has left me." Sven looked up to see his wife and Fauk putting their plates down on the table. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Fauk hold out the chair for Romelle, for her to sit down.

His wife looked beautiful in a peach and cream dress that perfectly offset her reddish blond hair and blue eyes. Sven looked at Fauk and saw that he was impeccably turned out in a sweater of some superfine wool with a slight luster to it. The Prince's pants were a light shade of fawn, and pressed to sharp crispness. Sven now wished he would have had something else put on, besides the old pants and shirt that he was wearing. That thought, and looking at how smug and pleased Fauk look, put him in an even sourer mood than he'd been in before.

Sven was really tempted to get up and leave, but he happened to see Bandor watching what was going on. Not wanting his brother-in-law on his case again, he decided to stay. He also did not want to leave his wife alone with the good looking Prince. It bothered him that Fauk and Romelle made a striking couple, and that his wife looked very happy to be with the man.

"It doesn't matter to me." Sven managed to articulate, before he shoveled in another forkful of food. It was hard for him to swallow, but he managed to get it down with some wine.

"Romelle was telling me that you are a very knowledgeable gardener, Sven. What kind of plants do you cultivate?" Fauk inquired as he took a bite of the food from his plate. Sven shot his wife an angry glare, wondering what she'd been telling Fauk about him.

"I have been having my mother's hanging garden restored, in one of the courtyards of my palace. It is not going well though, because of problems with the irrigation system." Fauk went on to detail what the issue seemed to be. Sven, liking to solve technical problems, saw what the issue was right away. He told Fauk that, and then they discussed the system a little more.

"I hope that when you come for the wedding next month, Sven, you can take a look at the system and see how it could be better." Fauk asked in winning tones, while Romelle was impressed that the two men were carrying on a normal conversation. She decided that Fauk was right, he could talk to anyone.

"I am not sure whether I will be able to make the wedding or not." Sven stated, as he took another forkful of food. If he had his way, Romelle and Erik would not go either, but he already knew he would be overruled on that decision. He wasn't fond of sitting at the same table as Fauk, even if the man was trying to be cordial to him.

Romelle saw the signs that Sven was getting annoyed, and she involuntarily tensed up, waiting for the explosion. In the next minute though she completely forgot about Sven as she felt something brushing against her foot. The tables had long coverings that went down to the floor, so she couldn't look and see what it was. The brushing was along the side of her foot, and it had managed to get her low heeled slipper off.

As the brushing slowly stroked her arch, and then moved from her toes to her ankle Romelle realized what it was. Fauk had taken his foot out of his tasseled loafers and was stroking her foot with his. She could tell that his socks were fine and soft, and as he moved his foot around she was getting breathless.

Romelle felt tingles go up her legs, while her heart raced fast. It was so audacious of him, to do something like that, sitting across from her husband. Fauk let his foot move slightly up her leg, and she let her foot lightly rub against his. The jolt of pleasure that hit her was intense, and something that she'd not felt for a very long time.

"It would be a pity for you to miss the wedding, it being such a joyous _family_ event." Fauk emphasized the word family, having heard from Bandor all about the problems with Sven. He himself would prefer for Sven to be there, to make sure no unsavory gossip was generated. Fauk had gotten away with his behavior by being very careful on how he arranged his affairs.

Sven heard the word family, and realized that he would be ordered to be on Odeos next month, no matter what. He wondered, not for the first, what it would be like to have a life that he could do what he wanted, and be left in peace.

"Elena was telling me about some of the festivities, as well as her dress. She seems very relieved that there is not a family wedding dress." Romelle offered up, trying to sound calm, while Fauk was slowly stroking up and down her calf. She had never thought a touch like that could be sexual, but as she felt the response in her core, she felt herself getting very excited.

"Yes, she told me all about the dress that Larmina wore today. While a charming custom, my experience is that ladies usually like to pick out their own dresses. Isn't that right Romelle?" Fauk turned to her, looking very relaxed. He could tell, by her eyes, exactly what his playing footsie was doing to her. He saw how starved she was for pleasure, and enjoyment.

"I actually wore my Mother's wedding dress, so I wouldn't know." Romelle demurred, thinking back to her own wedding. Pollux was still devasted from the war, and even if she had wanted something new there would not have been any money. The wedding was really more of a formality, because of their relationship.

So many questions had been generated about Sven's presence that Bandor had pushed for an official acknowledgment of the relationship. The night before her wedding Romelle had actually wondered why she needed to marry the man who had rescued her from Lotor. It wasn't that she didn't have feelings for him, but she felt like they were being rushed to the next stage of a relationship that neither one of them was prepared for.

"Big weddings are just excuses to spend money. Why buy a new dress if you have one that will do the job?" Sven set his lips in a tight line as put that out there. Fauk felt Romelle get sad, and he moved his foot back down to hers, and slowly stroked the inside of her ankle. He felt so bad for her, being married to this stingy, rude bastard.

"Well I am from the school of thought that thinks something new is so much more fun! And what is life without fun?" Fauk's voice was as smooth as silk to Romy's ears, and his foot slowly stroked her inside calf up and down was turning her insides to jelly. Fauk felt Romy respond and start stroking his foot with hers. He was sure now that they would have a very good time when she came to Odeos.

Sven looked at the polished, well dressed man with almost hate in his eyes. He was upset that his wife smiled at Fauk when he made that comment about new things. Of course he reasoned, Romelle liked new things, and as he thought about the way she had furnished the house on Pollux he felt his emotions start to go into overdrive.

"Sven, good to see you out and about! Can we join you all?" Lance and Allura had come up, carrying plates of food and wearing happy expressions. Romelle felt Fauk remove his foot, and then stand up as he smiled at Allura. She looked at her cousin very closely, and at the scarf around her neck. It was hard to see, but if you looked at the right angle you could see a slight bit of red not quite covered by the scarf. Romelle had to wonder at how the man knew these things.

Sven was not the least bit happy to see Allura and Lance show up at the table. It was made worse when he saw that Lance was dressed along similar lines of Fauk. He remembered how his friend had always been perfectly turned out, no matter what. The only reason he didn't storm off was because of how Allura was hugging Romelle.

Fauk was beyond thrilled that Allura and Lance had come over to join them; it provided even better cover for his spending time with Romelle. Allura was her cousin, giving their being together the overlay of a family event. He also had spent some time with Lance and liked the man a lot. He might not be royalty, but he was wealthy and sophisticated, while his Father gave him top level access to Alliance politics.

Fauk was not going to say anything about shopping, having seen the 'Entertainment Today' installment about the honeymoon trip. He had though looked up the shop in question, for his personal edification. Looking at the Arusian queen now, he wondered whether she had on some lace underwear in blue, to compliment her outfit. He then wondered how Romy would look in peach satin underwear, to compliment her dress.

"We were just talking about my sister's wedding next month, and how nice it will be to have you all visit my palace." Fauk knew that Sven was not happy about the trip, and wanted to see if he could provoke the man. He was having way more fun than he should be having with the way dinner was going.

"Odeos is somewhere that I've not been before, but from what you've told me about it I am looking forward to seeing it." Allura replied, giving Fauk a happy smile. The man was very charming, and she had been surprised to find out how smart he really was. She had been looking over the terraces, doing a seating chart when she'd seen him sitting at a table, having coffee and a cigarette. He had invited her to join him for coffee, and told her that he'd put out his cigarette. Allura had laughed and said it didn't bother her. They'd ended up having a nice talk about respective issues of their planets.

"My parents were there several years ago, and my mother was very impressed with the gardens." Lance added, and that started a conversation along those lines. Romelle was surprised that Sven had not stomped off yet, because she could see the annoyance in his eyes. While she was processing that, she was also trying to stay focused on the conversation, and not what Fauk's foot was doing to hers.

"That is my next project at my house, is to redo the yard. Right now it is very bushy, with no flowers at all. I want to put in a more formal garden, with flower beds, and well trimmed shrubs." Romelle stated, already seeing it in her mind.

"I hate those kinds of gardens, Romelle! Flower beds look fake! I think the yard is fine as it is." Sven snapped in a nasty voice to her. Everyone at the table went silent, wondering what was coming next. Fauk reached under the table and put his hand on Romelle's thigh, lightly rubbing it as she felt the heat from it. She felt like crying, but she wasn't sure if it was because of how unkind Sven was, or how kind Fauk was. Allura looked at her cousin, who looked like the wind had been knocked out of her sails.

"I admire people who can create gardens out of nothing. Have you seen the Sundial garden, off of the terraces? It had been just an open field, but Pidge turned it into a beautiful area, all planted around a brass armillary sundial and sphere set on the top of the outstretched paw of a carved marble lion. It has my favorite inscription 'Count Only Sunny Hours'." Allura changed the subject, from Romelle's garden to hers. From what Sven just said though, he probably would hate that garden too.

"Allura, you will have to show that to me. What a charming thought, and such a fun play on words; of course the lion is a symbol of your Kingdom." Fauk exclaimed delightfully, thinking how much sunnier Romy's life would be if she didn't have that brute of a husband.

"Romelle, it is great to have you all visiting, but I have to tell you that having Nanny back at the Castle is giving me frights. I ran into her in the hall the other day, and if looks could kill I would be a dead man." Lance decided to get off the garden subject, looking worriedly at his friend. Sven looked ill, and tired; he was wondering if Pidge's treatment was working at all. Lance also thought about what Larmina had told them, regarding Pidge's remark about the Polluxian couple needing a marriage counselor.

"Erik's Nanny is my old Nanny, Fauk. She still sees me as a little girl." Allura explained, not wanting to announce that Nanny had been furious about her marrying Lance, referring to him as a hooligan, along with several other things. She felt bad for Lance that he was having to put up with that, and mentally started counting how many days until the guests left to return home.

"Nannies are so like that! My old nanny was still trying to make me drink warm milk at night, even though I was a full grown man. However, I cried when she passed away last year." Fauk reminisced with a sad smile. He felt Romy stroking his leg with hers, which was delightful.

"I think a mother should be able take care of a child full time." Sven announced, almost snarling as he did so. Allura was taken aback at how Sven was behaving, and she looked over at Romelle to see the woman wide eyed with apprehension.

"We just had a conference here, about early childhood development in humanoids. We have several expert speakers, and they all agreed that babies and children do well with exposure to different people." Allura was hoping to diffuse the situation, but could see that Sven still had the angry glare on his face.

"I don't know about experts, but I will say that a man doesn't want his wife to get so wrapped up in the kids that she forgets about him. I don't think that is good for anyone." Lance, lightly stroking Allura's hair as he said it. He could tell that she was getting very concerned about Sven, and his behavior and comments.

"That is so true Lance, and I know that when I marry and have children there will be a nanny and a nursery. I would want my wife to be well rested, and taken care of!" Fauk declared in firm tones, while thinking unkind thoughts about Sven.

Sven looked at the two men sitting across from him, both taking Romelle's side on the nanny issue. Of course, it didn't surprise him because everyone always took her side. No one ever thought about him, or what he wanted. As he was thinking that he looked at Lance and saw that he had his arm around Allura. Sven didn't care for public displays of affection, not to mention that personally he didn't like to be touched, unless it was during sex.

"I hope Pidge and Larmina found the house in good shape, at Helgidorre. I notified the staff there two weeks ago, to make sure everything was set." Allura decided to change the subject again, not liking how Sven's eyes had a purple look to them. She was now sorry they'd sat at this table, as dealing with Sven was exhausting, and she felt very sad for her cousin. At the back of her mind she decided she would talk to Romelle later tonight.

Fauk asked where that was, and that got the conversation to flow at a happier level, about travel. Everyone joined in, and Romelle was quite interested to hear Lance and Allura telling about some of the places they went in France. Fauk said that Elena and Bandor were going to go to Dradin for their honeymoon, and Lance said he would talk to Mansett about making sure everything was first class for the couple.

"Allie and I are going there in a couple of months, just to relax. We have been trying to get Keith to take his lady friend there too." Lance smiled, as he stroked Allie's hair. Romelle had been watching all the attention that Lance paid to her cousin, and couldn't remember Sven ever acting like that with her. Fauk still had his hand on her thigh, lightly patting it every now and then. She was both terrified and hopeful that he would move it around.

"Speaking of Keith and Eimear, where are they?" Allura asked in surprised, as she looked around the room. She didn't see them anywhere, which surprised her.

"Perhaps Commander Kogane and the lady are otherwise occupied?" Fauk asked, with a suggestive note in his voice. As he offered that up he gently massaged Romelle's thigh, letting his fingers just barely touch her inner leg. He really did think about sex all the time.

That night Lance and Allura were in their bedroom, having a nightcap of Arusian brandy, while chatting about the party. The big topic was why Keith and Eimear never showed up for the evening. Allura was hopeful that Fauk had been right, while Lance was having a hard time believing it.

"He has been really happy, ever since I asked to have Aiden in the wedding. Maybe he just needed a push like that to get things going." Allura offered, and then continued "If I'd known it was that simple I would have invited Eimear to tea, or something."

"Darling, that might still be a good idea, you know. Keith might be self-conscious about having a relationship, but if sees that you are friendly with Eimear, it would let him know that you are ok with the whole thing." Lance pondered that, as he took another sip of brandy.

"Lance, I think you might be onto something. Keith has actually been normal around me the last couple of days, not staring like he used to. It has been a lot nicer I will say." Allie laughed as she took another sip of her brandy, enjoying how smooth it was.

"This is good! I could have used this halfway through our meal with Sven." Allura began, as she sipped at the brandy. She sat down on the small sofa in the sitting area, getting a thoughtful look on her face. Lance came over and sat next to her, putting his arm around her and pulling her close against him.

"I can see why Pidge made the observation he did, about Romelle and Sven needing a marriage counselor. It is also very clear why your cousin moved out and got her own place; damn it all I wanted to slap the man." Lance's annoyance could be heard clearly in his voice.

"Fauk made it all work out though, I have to say. He actually got Sven to join the conversation!" Allie exclaimed in a surprised tone. Fauk had been to earth, and in addition to Italy, and Russia, he had been to Denmark and Norway. He had made it a point to ask Sven several detailed questions about his home country.

"Allie, that man might be the final straw that breaks Sven and Romelle's marriage." Lance's voice was very serious, and Allie put her glass down and made it a point to pay close attention to what he was saying. When her husband used that tone she knew that it carried a warning that needed to be heeded.

"Lance, I guess I missed something in talking to Fauk, as I only saw how pleasant and charming he was." Allie really wanted to hear what Lance had to say, and she watched carefully as he put his glass down on the table. He removed his arm from around her shoulders, and took his hands in her.

"Darling, do you remember several months ago, when we talked about your feelings for Keith?" Lance carefully asked her, as he gripped her hands. She felt the strength, and the warmth, as she looked into his soft brown eyes. Allura thought for a moment, and then remembering the conversation nodded her head. He had come up to have breakfast with her in bed, even though they weren't married. Dorcas had happily given him a hard time about being in her room before they were married.

"I asked you what would have happened if Keith had spoken up when he first returned, about his feelings for you." Lance put it out there, and she looked at him as she replayed the conversation in her mind. It had been hard to admit the teenage crush she'd had on Keith, especially to the man that she loved, but he had made her face it head on.

"Lance I told you that I would have been terribly happy, thinking all my teenage dreams were coming true. I then added though that somewhere between the third week of the engagement, and the first wedding anniversary, I would have realized what a mistake I had made." Allie confessed, remembering that it had caused her more than one nightmare.

"So let's visualize that whole scenario, ok?" Lance titled his head, still holding her hands as his brown eyes looked at her dark blue ones. She nodded her head, feeling his fingers entwined with hers.

"You are married to Keith and something happens in the Kingdom, or you have to make some last minute trip, or he needs to accompany you to an evening engagement, yet again. He doesn't understand why you two can't just stay at home? Or why do you have to spend time with someone you don't like?" Lance smiled encouragingly and went on "I think you get the picture, right?"

Allie thought of what her life was life, and how Lance had nailed her day to day routine. Things came up at the last minute, people and organizations had to be accommodated to keep everything happy. It all worked because of Lance, Coran, and Rigsby. Coran was the senior government official, Rigsby was the gatekeeper, and Lance was the charming diplomat.

"There you are married to Keith, who is feeling like you never have time for him and is upset about it – not quite as bad as Sven but fairly close. You are already overworked and I am hanging around, your understanding friend. You cry on my shoulder, and I probably end up filling in for Keith once or twice on some of the engagements." Lance exposited, as he squeezed her hands. Allie was starting to see where this was going.

"My being around is not going to help your situation with Keith, as you will compare how easy things are with me as opposed to Keith. Now, Keith is my best friend and I would like to think that I would be honorable about it, no matter how hard that might be. However, Fauk isn't friends with Sven, and I don't think he is particularly honorable either." Lance finished up his analogy.

"Lance, I understand now, and see how it could turn into a very ugly situation. Would you care if I go try to talk to Romelle? I wanted to do it anyway, after tonight, and with what you've told me now I think I really need to." Allura turned to look at her husband. He was so good to her, and so handsome; she felt lucky to have him.

"Sugar, great minds must think alike! I was debating trying to talk to Sven, but I didn't want you to think I was running out on you." Lance chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. He then moved to her lips, and enjoyed the way the brandy tasted on her tongue.

"Mmm, maybe when we get done with our respective chats we could spend some time together in the chaise lounge." Allie's voice was teasing and sultry at the same time, and Lance started to wonder if the talk could wait until tomorrow. He was still amazed at how she could arouse him so easily.

"Ready for another around, after our afternoon?" Lance went to nuzzle her neck, but the scarf was in the way, and it took him minute to remember why she was wearing it.

"Listen Darling, I didn't mean to leave those marks on your neck; I just got very carried away." Lance looked at her ruefully, and she giggled.

"Lance McClain it is a good thing you are as handsome as you, not to mention incredible in bed. Honestly though, it is fine and they were will be gone in a day or two; plus I enjoyed getting them!" Allie told him, as she kissed him again. She broke it off and went to stand up, saying "Let's go have our talks, so we can get back here sooner, rather than later."

_**Author's Note: The conversations will not appear in this story, but will be the start of the Pollux story.**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**In Sickness & In Health**_

When the reception was finished Keith and Eimear left, to head over to her house. Aiden, Renson, and the flower girls had been at the luncheon, but were then taken home by their respective nannies. Keith was sitting next to her in the hovercar, telling her about the diary that the court librarian had given him. Eimear was excited at the thought of reading about her grandmother.

The car pulled up in front of the house, and Keith helped Eimear out of the car. He was looking forward to the talk they were going to have. She had already suggested that they have some wine and cheese in the backyard, which he thought sounded perfect. When they got inside Aiden came barreling down the staircase to greet them.

"Mum, Commander Keith you are here!" He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around his Mother, who hugged him back. She went to kiss him on his forehead, and Keith saw her look very concerned all of a sudden.

"Aiden, you are really hot! How do you feel?" Eimear asked, as she put her hand on his forehead. Keith looked at the boy and noticed a slight glassiness in the eyes.

"Actually, I've been rather cold and my joints hurt, but I think it is because Renson and I were rough housing." Aiden informed, as he stepped back from his Mother and turned to Keith. Just then a strange look came over his face.

"Oh, my stomach doesn't feel so." He didn't finish what he was saying, as he bent over slightly while grabbing his stomach. Aiden proceeded to throw up right a Keith's feet, with some of it getting on his dress shoes. Keith reached out to support the boy, and gently patted his back.

"Aiden, what is wrong." Eimear reached out to hold her son and then saw Keith's shoes "Keith, I'm sorry about this." The worry in her voice was clear as she said it.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I think we need to get Aiden upstairs though. He has all the symptoms of a fever." Keith smiled at her, as he continued to support the boy. Aiden by now was done throwing up, and managed to stand upright, but was still holding on to Keith's arm. Keith took his shoes off, and then picked the boy up.

"Eimear, why don't you lead the way, and show me where his room is." Keith asked her encouragingly, and she nodded her head. Aiden had his arms wrapped around Keith's neck, and his head was on the man's shoulder. Keith could feel how hot the boy felt, and it concerned him since the symptoms had all developed so fast.

They went to Aiden's room and Keith smiled when he saw the Voltron picture on the board above the boy's desk. Keith sat Aiden down on his bed, and took off his shoes and socks. Just then the boy's nanny came in, and Eimear told the woman what was going on. Keith turned his back while the nanny helped the boy into some pajamas, and then put him into bed.

"You might want to call the doctor, Eimear, I'm a little concerned about how fast he came down with this." Keith told her, and then turned to look at Aiden as the boy said something.

"Commander Keith, will you keep me company. I'm sorry about throwing up on you." The boy's voice was weak and tired as he held out his hand. Keith pulled up chair and sat down next to the bed, taking the boy's hand.

"As long as it is fine with your mother and nanny I am happy to stay. As far as the throwing up, don't worry about it, Aiden. It has happened to me before." Keith chuckled as he said it, remembering a certain cadet McClain after a round of jagermeister one night. He looked over at Eimear and the nanny, to make sure it was ok with them. He was more concerned about the nanny than Eimear, hoping this woman wasn't like Allura's old nanny.

"Commander, if it makes His Grace feel better I am fine with it. Let me go get some cold water and a cloth, to put on his head. Your Ladyship, I think the Commander is right, you should call the doctor." The woman was middle aged, and calm. She smiled at Keith kindly, thinking what a nice man he was, and how gentle he was being with her charge.

It was several hours later after the doctor had been to see Aiden, and confirmed Keith's fear. The boy had zeden fever, which could be fatal in children. Keith had been concerned with how fast the boy had gotten sick, and he remembered reading that there had been outbreaks of the disease recently. He was sitting by Aiden's bed, taking turns with the nanny and Eimear in putting cold compresses on his head. By now the boy was delirious, and the fever was spiking dangerously.

"Keith the fever isn't coming down!" Eimear was frantic with worry, as she looked at the thermometer that she had just taken out of Aiden's mouth. She was still in the skirt and blouse she'd worn to the wedding, while her hair was slowly coming loosening from the French twist that it had been in, as she kept nervously rubbing the back of her head. Keith could see the fear dilating her pupils too.

"Eimear, the doctor said it would take most of the night before it broke. It will be fine, let's just keep putting the cold clothes on his head." Keith reached across the bed and took her hand as he said it, giving her a reassuring look. Eimear raised her head and gave him a small smile, understanding what he was trying to do. She couldn't believe how wonderful he had been about it all, and how willing he was to sit by Aiden's bed.

The nanny saw the Commander reach over to Her Ladyship, and how he was talking to her. She decided that she needed to go get some fresh water, to give the couple some privacy. She had wondered about the man's feelings about Her Ladyship, but having seen how he was just looking at her now, she knew how much he loved her.

Keith heard the nanny excuse herself, and when she was gone he reached over and hugged Eimear. She collapsed against him gratefully, and he felt his shirt getting wet. Keith stroked her hair while she cried for a bit, until she felt better. She was warm and soft in his arms, and he just wanted to protect her so badly.

"Keith, I can't lose him! What if he doesn't recover?" Eimear voiced her greatest fear, trembling as she did so.

"Honey, we aren't going to lose him. He was in good shape before he got the fever, and he will be able to fight it off. The best thing we can do is stay calm, and try to get his body temperature to drop some." Keith gently told her, as he held her against him. He felt her start to breathe more slowly, so he held her and continued to softly rub her back.

"Thank you for staying with us, Keith. You didn't need to, and you missed the party at the castle." Eimear apologized as she raised her head to look up at him. He was so handsome, and his blue eyes were soft and gentle as he looked at her. She liked the way the crinkled around the corners as he smiled at her.

"Eimear, I would rather be with you and Aiden than anywhere else, and I mean that with all my heart." Keith said reverently, as he kissed her lightly on the lips. It was just for a moment, but it felt like the world stopped for both of them. Aiden started to thrash just then, and Eimear adjusted the compress on his head, as Keith held his hands. When the thrashing stopped, they heard Aiden take a deep breath, and mumble some.

It took several more hours for the fever to break, but it finally did around 5:00am. Aiden woke up for a little bit, and asked his Mother to sleep with him. Eimear told the nanny she could go to bed, and Keith said he would stay in the chair, in case anything was needed. Aiden smiled at him happily before he fell back asleep. Eimear curled up next to Aiden, putting her arms around him, and mouthing 'thank you' to Keith.

It was around 10:00am when Keith shifted in the armchair, and realized that the reason why he was sore was because he had slept in an awkward position. The events of yesterday came back to him, as he looked at Eimear and Aiden curled up together in bed. Her pale blonde hair was loose, and some of it was next to Aiden's head, where it matched his hair exactly. Her skirt and blouse were wrinkled badly, with the blouse being untucked.

Keith heard a rustle in the doorway and saw the nanny, whose name was Mildred, standing there. She looked at him enquiringly, and he put his finger to his lips, and gestured to the bed with his head. Mildred nodded, and excused herself, thinking what a happy family they looked like. Her Ladyship had been alone for too long, and His Grace needed a father in his life, in Mildred's opinion.

"Commander Keith?" Aiden croaked softly, and Keith reached to get the boy some water, from the carafe by the nightstand.

"Drink a little of this, Aiden." Keith instructed the boy, as he helped him to sit up, being careful not to disturb Eimear. The boy took several sips, and then looked at his mother in puzzlement.

"Aiden, you've been very sick, with zeden fever. That is why your mother is here, because we stayed with you all night, as well as your Nanny. Let's stay quiet so your Mom can rest, and you should too, ok?" Keith whispered to the young man, who nodded his head in understanding. He felt tired and sore, and was very willing to go back to sleep, especially since his Mum and Commander Keith were with him.

A little later Eimear woke up, and looked at Aiden sleeping with relief, as she felt his forehead. She looked over at Keith with sleepy eyes, and smiled at him. He looked handsome sitting there in his white open neck shirt, his dress pants, and his unshaven face. She looked down at her wrinkled blouse and skirt, and went to smooth her messy hair.

"Eimear, you look beautiful!" Keith lovingly told her, as he reached out to hold her hand. He wanted to pull her close to him, and just hold her, but knew it would have to wait for a better time. She gave him a bemused look, as she pondered what he was saying. Aiden woke up before she could follow up on what Keith had said though.

"Mum, I'm really hungry. Can I get something to eat?" Aiden asked, as he sat up against the pillows. He looked at his Mum and Commander Keith holding hands, and beamed at them. It was just like what he'd seen in his dream, the boy thought.

"Well if he is hungry that is a good sign!" Keith declared, and Eimear laughed as she summoned Mildred and Philips. In no time they had toast, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and some coffee for Keith and Eimear. Aiden was privately thinking that it would be a good thing if Commander Keith had breakfast with them every morning.

Late that afternoon Keith was heading back to the Castle for a shower and change of clothes. Then he was going to go back to Eimear's, to have dinner with her and Aiden. As he walked into the Castle it occurred to him that after being gone for over twenty-four hours, and returning wearing the same clothes he wore to the wedding, people would draw one conclusion.

Keith had meant to call, or send a message to the team, but he'd never had the chance. As he walked into the Control Room his heart sank when he saw Allura, Lance, Hunk, Daniel, and Vince all there. He hoped that Lance would be a little tactful in his remarks, because of the boys being there. Of course, considering how Vince was now, he might say something before Lance had the chance to. Keith had been shocked, at Pidge's bachelor party, to see how much Vince had changed.

"Keith, it is good to see you! How is Aiden doing?" Allura walked up to him and gave him a light hug, and Lance came up behind her and slapped him on the back. The other team members turned to look at him with concern.

"He is doing better now that the fever has broken. I was going to take a shower and change my clothes before going back over there. By the way, how did you know about Aiden?" Keith was puzzled at that fact, but relived that everyone knew he had not been at Eimear's for another reason.

"Phillips, her house manager called and told Higgins what was going on." Allura informed him, and added "We were really worried when we heard it was zeden fever."

Keith was grateful that Phillips had done what he had, to protect Eimear's reputation, as well as his. He then thought of something and asked "Aiden is very concerned about Renson, since they were together so much yesterday. Have you heard how he is?"

"Eimear is going to be getting an apology from the Lindseys. It seems that Renson had the fever several days ago, and they thought he was over it." Lance offered up in a 'can you believe that' voice.

"That is good that Aiden is going to be all right. He is a nice kid." Daniel said, and Vince nodded his head. Daniel saw what was in Vince's brain and thought to him _'damn it to hell Keith wasn't having sex with her while her kid was sick! Stop it!'_

"You are right about that, he is. If you'll excuse me I want to go get cleaned up." Keith started to walk away but was stopped by Allura's voice.

"Before you go back over Keith, stop by the kitchen. I'll have Higgins put together some food to take over to Eimear. I'm sure the staff has been too upset to do much." Allura explained to him, and he smiled at her.

Keith felt like their relationship was back on track, in fact, a better track than the one it had been on before. The situation had been unfair to both of them, and he was glad that it was resolved. He also thought that it was very considerate of her to think of sending some food over to the house. He told her that before he excused himself and headed to his quarters.

When he got back to the house Phillips let him in, and Eimear came into the hall to greet him. He saw that she had changed her clothes, and her pale blond hair was softly curling around her shoulders. She told him that the doctor had been again, and Aiden was resting quietly now.

Keith was glad to hear it, and even happier when Eimear led him into the front room while arranging for tea to be brought up. Eimear told Phillips that she would let him know when to bring it up, and shut the door after the man left the room.

He looked at Eimear, incredible in a grey sweater that clung to her body, and felt his mind shutting down. Keith saw her grey-blue eyes looking at him with admiration and felt a dam burst in his body as a hard rush of longing over took him. He took her into his arms hard and fast, as he started kissing her like a hungry man. All that he could think of was touching her, possessing her mind, body, and soul.

After Phillips left, Eimear turned to look at Keith, who was standing next to her. Before she realized what was happening, she was in Keith's arms, being kissed like she'd never been kissed before. Eimear felt a wave of pleasure wash over her, as she fell against his hard body. Her hands were around his waist, and moving up and down his back, as his tongue plundered her mouth. Keith's hands were in her hair and on her neck, pushing her closer to him as he took total control of her being.

When the kiss stopped she was surprised to find herself in the sofa, being held tightly in Keith's arms. He was looking at her with love, and she was blown away by the feelings coursing through her body. Eimear reached up to kiss him, moving against him to get as close as possible. Her body was on fire, and he felt her passion, which only spurred him on.

"I've never felt anything like this." Eimear managed to get out, when the kiss stopped. She looked at Keith, who looked shocked and happy at the same time. They were wrapped up in each other, partially reclined on the sofa, breathing heavily.

"Honey, neither have I. Eimear, I've been such a fool, and you have been so patient about it. I love you so much." Keith declared, looking her straight in the eyes as he did so. Eimear looked up at the handsome, strong man, who had been so kind with her and Aiden.

"Keith, I have always admired your strength, and the interest you took in Aiden. The first time I met you I was a bitch, but you were kind anyway. I realized I was in love with you when we left the Chapter House. I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again, and then when you said you wanted to spent time with me I was happy." Eimear confessed in a soft voice, as she looked at him.

Keith processed what she had just told him, and his eyes widened as he understood the implication of it. "Eimear, did you say that you love me?" He asked, not believing it could be this easy. She felt the same way about him that he did about her.

"Yes, I love you! And I think I heard you say that you love me too? No one has ever told me that before." Confessing it was not as hard as she thought it would have been. She had been concerned about betraying Percy, but now knew that Keith needed to know what that relationship had been like.

"Eimear, I am planning on telling you I love you a great deal, just so you know. I want to make you happy, care about you, and just be with you." Keith vowed to her. He knew that they would have to talk more about her relationship with Percy, but he was ready for that now. He wanted to know what she had been through, so he could understand better, because he loved her.

"I also would like to re-invite you to come to earth with me in a couple of weeks. I only have meetings for two days, and then afterwards we could go do some fun things. It has been a long time since I've had a vacation. Eimear, I am also interested in what you would find fun to do." Keith smiled at her, pulling her close. She didn't get the chance to respond though, as he started kissing her again.

Down in the kitchen, Phillips having the tea tray all set to go, sat down to watch the newsfeeds. Mrs. Hagan, the cook, and Flora, the housemaid looked at him in surprise. Mrs. Hagan wondered why he wasn't concerned that Her Ladyship had not called for tea. Phillips though doubted that she would be calling anytime soon.

"I think you are going to find that there will be some changes coming in household matters." Phillips announced, thinking about how Commander Kogane had looked at Her Ladyship when she came into the hall. He also knew that a man didn't sit up all night with a woman and her sick child for a casual relationship.

Upstairs Keith and Eimear were sitting on the sofa talking about what they would do on earth. He was pleased to find out that her thoughts were very similar to his. Keith had his arms around her, keeping her close, as he stroked her hair. He couldn't believe what a damn idiot he had been, and thanked providence for bringing him to his senses.

"Mum, Commander Keith, hello!" They hadn't heard the door open until Aiden started talking. He was standing there in his pajamas, looking at them quite happily. Eimear was all set to move away from Keith, but he kept his arms around her. He was pretty sure that Aiden was not going to have a problem with their relationship.

"Aiden, you should be resting. And you need to give Commander Kogane his badge back." Eimear informed her son, and Keith turned to look at the boy, loosening his arms around her as he did so. Aiden did have the gold lion badge, hanging from its black ribbon around his neck. He looked pleased and happy as he fingered.

"Oh, it is fine for me to wear it, Mum. I'm going to pilot Black one day, you know. He came to me while I was sick and told me that, which is why I had to get well." Aiden informed them in a matter of fact tone, and Keith felt his heart almost stop beating. He took his arms off of Eimear, and put them on his legs as he looked at the boy.

"Black Lion came to you when you were sick? How did you know it was Black?" Keith asked very slowly, wondering if the boy had imagined it during the high fever he had run.

"Yes, he did come to me. I knew it was him because we talked the day you took me flying in him. It is really neat how it works, to talk all in your mind." The boy told Keith, as if he would know what he was saying. Keith looked at Aiden in shock, as he tried to put it all together. His lion had talked to Aiden, and not told him about it.

"Commander Keith, I didn't say anything that day because Black asked me not to. He said that you weren't ready yet, but I would know when the time was right. And it is now!" Aiden explained proudly, as he came over to the sofa and hugged his mother and Keith. Eimear didn't understand what was going on, but Keith mouthed 'I'll explain later' to her, so she nodded her head.

He stayed for tea, dinner, and after helping tuck Aiden into bed spent some time on the sofa with Eimear. It was hard to say goodbye to her, and he was now inpatient for the trip to earth. When he arrived back at the Castle, he went to see his lion; they needed to have a serious talk.

'_I see that Aiden talked to you'_ Black thought in his brain, after Keith had sat down in the pilot's chair. _'Yes, he did and I'm not sure I wanted to hear it from him. Why didn't you tell me about it?'_ Keith responded back to the mighty lion spirit. _'It was a journey you needed to make by yourself. I could not interfere; you needed to find your own way and listen to your heart'_ Black explained in an almost bored tone.

'_What if I had not come to the correct conclusion? What if I had not realized how stupid I was being? Would you have stepped in?'_ Keith really wondered how it would have played out, if he had not overheard the conversation between Allura and Larmina. _'I don't really know, since it didn't come to that point. You have learned what you needed, and will carry those lessons with you on the next journey'_ Black put it out there, and Keith sighed.

'_You are very close to finding out about your family, but I need to warn you_' Black spoke in his head, and Keith felt the warning in the words. _'What do you need to warn me about?'_ Keith questioned, and Black sighed in his brain. _'You have shown humility and wisdom in understanding what happened with the Queen Lioness and Red's pilot. You will need all of that, and more when it comes to your family's history' _Black's thoughts were very heavy, and Keith felt almost like his body was weighed down.

Before he could respond though Black was in his brain again _'I am done for now and want to rest. I am proud of what you have done so far, and that you will guide my future pilot well. I trust your judgment, which is why you pilot me'_.

Keith sat there, knowing he would get no more from the lion. He was now concerned about what had happened with his father and grandfathers. He remembered how he had told Eimear once, about an instructor at the academy who had told him not to ask questions he didn't want to hear the answers to. Keith decided to go to bed, thinking about how much fun he and Eimear were going to have, instead of dwelling on Black's warning.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Author's Note: There is a reference in this story, about a meeting Keith & Allura have, regarding a memo she sent him. This scene will not be shown until my next story 'The Perils of Pollux'. That story is on the same timeline as this one, and there are character interactions flowing back and forth. It will not interfere with reading either story, or the main plot line. If more of these references come up, I will let you know at the beginning of the chapter.**_

_**Thank you to all my readers, and I hope you are enjoying the story. We are getting closer to solving the mystery of Keith's family, so stay tuned. Reviews are always welcome.**_

_**Bonus Points for who can figure out what C.S. Lewis book inspired the title for this chapter!**_

_**The Fox, The Curator, & The Museum**_

It was three days after the wedding, and Keith was heading up to talk to the Court Librarian, Mattie. He had wanted to do it sooner, but the wedding and Eimear side tracked him. Allura had shut all government matters down for two days after the wedding. She was busy celebrating with her family and friends, and assumed everyone else wanted to be with theirs too.

Keith had no problem when she'd asked him if the team could take a break from their flying drills also. He went along with her request, because it gave him more time with Eimear and Aiden. He had wanted to laugh at the stunned expression Allura had when he'd told her that it was a great idea. That had been after their meeting, regarding the memo she had sent him. Keith had misgivings about the plan she proposed, but had decided to give it a try. He then went back to focusing on Eimear and Aiden.

He spent most of the days over there, and hated leaving at night. Keith had never experienced the feelings and emotions he was having now. He was trying to figure out how quickly they could get married once he proposed, and if he should ask Aiden's permission. His feelings for Eimear also gave him a great deal of clarity about Allura, and what his feelings for her had been. Keith had been beyond pleased when Eimear remarked that Allura had invited her to tea the following week. Things were going to be just fine, he saw.

Mattie was at the library when he arrived, and they talked for a while about the wedding festivities. He learned about her family, and was surprised when she said that she was a distant cousin of Sir Percy Ainsley. Keith knew that everyone was aware that he was involved with Eimear, but didn't care. He remembered how defensive and closed off he'd been with people, not understanding that they were just showing that they cared.

"Are there any files about what companies carried warrants to do business with the royal house, from before the war?" Keith inquired, after telling Mattie about Eimear and Aiden. He had decided to focus on the necklace for now, until Pidge came back. He was going to be gone when Pidge and Larmina returned, but had left the book, wrapped up, on Pidge's desk, with a note asking what he wanted.

"Yes, Commander Kogane we do have the files. Do you know the name or type of business that you are looking for?" Mattie, who was in fact Lady Mattisen Dupeir, asked him.

"Please call me Keith, Mattie! The name will involve the initials JPC, and I am assuming the company made jewelry." He offered up, thinking that they should be on a first name basis because of her relationship to Aiden. Keith was surprised when she gave him an incredulous look, and he hoped it wasn't because he wanted her to call him Keith.

"That would have to be the firm of Jean Piel Clouthier! His work was exquisite, but he wasn't just an artist, he was also a scientist. He invented a type of enamel that was stronger than all others, with colors that glowed. He made some pieces of jewelry, but was best known for figurines, picture frames, boxes, and cigarette cases. They were brilliantly colored and decorated with gold and fine gems." Mattie informed him.

She excused herself, and went to a back section of the library, saying she was going to pull the file they had. Mattie came back several minutes later empty handed, with an apologetic expression on her face.

"Keith, I'm sorry I forgot; the files were transferred temporarily to the Arusian Art Museum, by request of Her Ladyship. Oh, excuse me, Her Grace now. It is hard to think of Prince Andrei's daughter as a married woman." Mattie laughed lightly, remembering what a wild tomboy the red haired girl had been.

Until Mattie had mentioned Prince Andrei, Keith had not realized that the librarian was talking about Larmina. He decided that he should not have been surprised that she was meddling in this matter of his, since she'd involved herself in his personal life. Keith still had a tiny bit of annoyance that Larmina had felt the need to weigh in on his character and love life.

"Why would Larmina be involved in this?" Keith asked candidly, not seeing the connection.

"Her Grace is patron of the museum, didn't you know? Her Majesty is not interested in art, but Her Grace is. The Queen thought it would be a good exposure to royal duties, as well as a safe one too." Mattie told Keith, with a sly grin on her face. Keith inquired what that meant.

"Just between us Keith, since you know the young woman, and won't talk and all. Her Grace has not been known for her tact or discretion; she is pro-Arusian to the core. Several years ago someone accused her of being racist, and it was a little bit of a scandal. Her Majesty thought the museum was a good fit for her niece, it being rather low profile." Mattie had lowered her voice several octaves, as she told Keith all that.

"I really felt bad for Her Grace when it happened. People forgot that she was a teenage girl, and teenagers say things without thinking. It is hard to be royalty and a teenager at the same time, as Her Grace found out." Mattie added for Keith's benefit.

Keith thought about what Mattie had said, and realized that she was right about Larmina being young. He knew that she was impulsive, loved Arus, and was better known for being brusque, than patient. Keith thought about how Allura had talked to her, the day he had overheard the conversation between them. He also remembered hearing the concern in Larmina's voice, about Pidge wanting them to have their own place. She loved Pidge, Keith saw, and wanted him to be happy, but she was also worried about what her Aunt would say. Keith realized that the young girl was very perceptive, more than people realized.

It came to him that Larmina had been concerned about him when she'd made those comments regarding his love life. She wasn't putting him down as he'd thought, instead being worried that he was going to do the same thing to Eimear that he'd done with Allura. Larmina had had a bird's eye view all those years, and he knew that she spied and eavesdropped better than anyone else in the Castle. She had seen the whole thing played out, and knew the personalities very well. Keith decided to forgive her for her observations, seeing the whole picture now.

"I think Larmina has grown up a great deal in the last couple of months, Mattie. She is also very smart about people." Keith told the woman, who smiled happily, saying that her parents would be very happy with how things had turned out.

"Why would those particular files go to the museum?" Keith asked, wanting to get back on the subject that he had originally come to talk about.

"One of the curators, Agathon Reinhardt is preparing an extensive exhibition of Clouthier items, to be shown next year. Her Grace has been helping him acquire items for the show." Mattie explained to Keith. He thought about what she'd said, regarding the types of things he made.

"You said he didn't do a lot of jewelry?" Keith queried, thinking about his mother's necklace.

"No, mostly small pieces like cufflinks, pins, things that could be done in enamels. He would use gems as accents, but wouldn't do something like a diamond necklace." Mattie informed Keith, adding with pride "My father had a lovely pair of cuff links from him; my nephew wears them now." Keith smiled at her as she shared a family memory with him. He thought about the other types of work that the woman had said Jean Piel Clouthier made.

"He was best known though for his art objects, and cigarette cases?" Keith thought about the case that Lance had, with the fox on it.

"The cigarette cases were very popular gifts among the nobility. They would be ordered for a person, and the designs included family crests, initials, and decorative embellishment. Those cases are works of art by themselves you know." Mattie detailed the information for him.

"People used to be a lot more open about their smoking than they are now, Keith. I'm sure it is the same on earth; it is bad for you, etc, but people still do it. The habit has fallen out of favor, just as well, but it is a shame as there lots of beautiful cases tucked away. I hope Dr. Reinhardt acquires some of them for his exhibit." Mattie divulged to him, and he nodded his head in agreement.

Keith knew that Lance wasn't the only person who smoked, but he still disliked it. It had taken all of freshman year at the Academy to get Lance to quit, he recalled. He wondered why Lance had started again, and was still surprised that Allura let him do it. Eimear had told him that it was a personal choice, and that he should mind his own business. Keith knew that was the correct thing to do, but he had a hard time with it. He also wanted to know how Lance had a case with his family's crest on it.

"Do you think Dr. Reinhardt would let me see the files? Or are they digitized?" Keith put the smoking issue to the side, and came back to what he'd come upstairs for.

"Unfortunately, those files haven't been scanned yet, being low priority. Let me call Dr. Reinhardt quickly, and see if I can set something up for you. He is very passionate about Clouthier, as his father was the top workman in the firm." Mattie offered, as she went to make the call. She came back about ten minutes later, and said that if he wanted to go over to the museum, Dr. Reinhardt would be glad to meet with him. Telling Mattie thanks, he left and headed into town, after stopping at his room to get something.

The Arusian Art Museum was on the back side of the main plaza in town. It faced a small park, laid out with flower beds, shrubs, and small trees. Keith knew that it had all been done in the last five years, but he was still impressed with how fast Arus had rebuilt. The museum was in a classical style of white stone, and he knew from his study of Arusian history that the building was an exact copy of the one that had originally stood on that sight.

Dr. Agathon Reinhardt wasa middle aged gentleman of small statue and piercing black eyes. He wore a suit that had seen better days, but his hands were fine and delicate. Keith saw they were the hands of an artist, and he remembered Mattie saying that the man's father had been the best workman for Clouthier. After saying hello to each other, and chatting some, the conversation turned to Clouthier.

"Commander Kogane, I don't mind you looking through the file, but can you tell me what you are looking for? I've been through it several times, so maybe I can help you. The file is very disorganized, and one of my first tasks has been to try to sort the documents into some kind of order." The curator told Keith with a kind glance.

Keith watched as the man's eyes widened when he took the necklace out of his pocket, letting it hang from his fingers. Dr. Reinhardt took a jeweler's loupe from his desk drawer, and with shaking hands examined the turtle pendant. Keith was concerned with the look of almost distaste the man had on his face.

"Where did you get this from?" Agathon Reinhardt asked in cold tone that took Keith back. Up until then the man had been affable and friendly, glad to have the chance to talk about his passion for Clouthier. Keith was all set to say that it had belonged to his mother, but something stopped him. The look of distaste on the man's face made him think of the references to the man in the diary that he had read.

"It was in a box of odds and ends that I found by accident. It looked valuable and I was interested in the workmanship of the piece." Keith laid out his explanation, not really lying, but not telling the truth either.

"My father made this necklace; it was custom piece for a very wealthy patron of Clouthier's store. It's been over thirty years since I saw it." Dr. Reinhardt said slowly, fingering the enamels in the turtle. His eyes had a faraway look in them, and Keith knew he was thinking of his father.

"Dr. Reinhardt may I know the name, so I can return the necklace to the family?" Keith was trying not to quiver as he thought that he might be close to finding out his family's history. He was wondering if the answer to his family history could be acquired so easily.

"I was about ten years old, and would sometimes go with my father into the shop. Jean Piel Clouthier had the showroom in the front, and then various workshops in the back. He and his family lived upstairs in the building. The showroom was amazing just by itself." Agathon sat down as he started his explanation, and motioned for Keith to do the same.

"Commander Kogane, I don't remember the man's name, and the shop was blown to pieces during the fifth year of the war. The blast decimated the place and everyone, including my father was killed. All the records were lost at the same time." Dr. Reinhardt told him sadly, and Keith extended his condolences.

"Dr. Reinhardt I saw the expression that crossed your face when you thought of the client. I am curious as to why it struck such a chord with you." Keith didn't want to look too eager and scare the man off, but he knew when someone wasn't telling everything they knew. At the back of his mind he had the wry thought that those years of hunting Black Lion had taught him skills he'd not possessed before.

"My mother adored turtles, Commander Kogane. When my father was commissioned to make that piece, he told my mother about it, for that reason. My dad decided that he would make a small copy of the turtle, as a gift for her. As Clouthier's top workman, he was allowed to do things like that." The curator started to tell Keith, who smiled at him to go on.

"I was with my father, at the workshop, when he was showing me both pieces. I clearly remember him saying that he hated making something so beautiful for a man who he was sure was evil. The way he said it has always stuck in my mind, Commander. My father wasn't given to making judgments, but he wouldn't explain what he meant." Dr. Reinhardt told his story, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Funny thing, my father decided not to give the small turtle to my mother, and asked me not to tell her about it. His excuse was that the workmanship was not that good, but I think now he just didn't like the association the turtle carried." The old gentleman offered up, getting a sad look on his face. He was still holding the necklace, and he carefully turned it around, to look at the back side of the turtle.

"I wonder though, mm." Dr. Reinhardt mused, as he took the loupe again and examined the engraving on the back. Keith kept quiet, hoping that the curator had remembered something about the province of the piece.

"Commander, my father kept a journal, a workbook kind of thing. He would note appointments in it, comments on pieces he was working on, and design sketches for future pieces. The day he was killed he'd been running late, and left the journal at home." The older man told Keith, as he brought up a holoscreen and started poking at it.

"As part of my work for the exhibit, I digitized the journal, because a lot of the sketches ended up being used. I was hoping that if people saw them, as part of the show, they might recognize the pieces if they belonged to them, or a relative." Dr. Reinhardt conjectured, as he scanned the holoscreen.

"There is something about this inscription, the language used, that I recall seeing a reference to in the journal." Agathon disclosed, and then suddenly found what he was looking for "I thought so! Here it is Commander, the entry about it." The curator read through the notes, then looked puzzled.

"Well this is interesting. The note references this necklace, but the inscription mentioned is for a different piece. The problem is that the engraver who did the work on the necklace wasn't available to do this other inscription. My father was concerned because the language used a different alphabet, which was very hard to work with." Dr. Reinhardt disclosed, looking very surprised.

"Are you saying that there is another piece engraved in the same language?" Keith was shocked at what the curator was telling him. He pressed for more details, but the journal didn't say anything else.

"Commander, I'm sorry there is nothing else I can offer you. I commend you for wanting to return the necklace to its rightful owner. If you don't find them, would you be willing to let me use it in my exhibit? I don't have any examples of Cloutheir's jewelry, and it is possible that maybe someone would recognize it." Dr. Reinhardt diffidently asked his question.

"Of course, Dr. you would be welcome to use the necklace; when is the exhibit?" Keith was sorry to learn that it wasn't scheduled until early next year. He really was starting to wonder if he would ever find out about his family. Just as he thought that, he was reminded of what Black Lion had told him. Keith pushed that aside, thinking about something else instead.

"Dr. Reinhardt do you have any pictures of Clouthier's work? I've only heard about it, and besides the necklace haven't seen anything else?" Keith was curious, as he remembered Mattie's comments about the enamel process. The old gentleman brightened up, and started to show him pictures of some of the pieces he had so far. He also gave Keith an in-depth lesson on the enamel technique.

"I am excited because Her Ladyship, I mean Her Grace, has offered to loan her father's cigarette case for the show. It will be a top level example of Cloutheir's work." Agathon enthused, as he thought about getting the royal object for the exhibit.

Keith found it interesting that Prince Andrei had smoked, but knew that the habit had been much more common even ten years ago than it was now. The mention of the cigarette case made him wonder about the one that Lance had.

"I think I've seen one of Jean Piel Cloutheir's cigarette cases, Dr. Reinhardt. It was white enamel, in a gold frame, with a design of a colored fox." Keith described the case as best as he remembered it, from the glance he'd seen of it in Allura's bag.

"It more than likely is, based on your description of the case. I would love to see the item, just to study the enamel work. It is very difficult to place colored enamels within white enamel, and not have them bleed together." Dr. Reinhardt almost glowed at the thought of seeing the case.

"Please mention the exhibit to your friend, Commander." The curator asked, and they chatted for several more minutes before Keith excused himself. He made his way back to the Castle, feeling like he'd made no progress at all, other than to learn about the enamel technique. It also ate at him that there was another piece out there, with an engraving in the mysterious language.

Keith had been through the newsfeed archives, and found no references to a business person with the initials MH. It surprised Keith, because according to the diary, the man had been a big player in Arusian commerce and industry. He had tried typing in just the initials, but had been flooded with too much non-relevant information.

The court circulars had turned out to unhelpful to, but that was because the year he wanted, and the prior year were both missing. Keith had noticed some other gaps too, and when he talked to Mattie about it, she'd been surprised. However, she did say that the library was bombed on several different occasions, and after each time things would get moved around. She added that she and three helpers spent two years, after the restoration, just putting things back where they should be.

That night, at Eimear's, Keith told her what he'd learned, which didn't amount to much. She sympathized with him, but couldn't think of any other avenues. He'd explained to her about lion talk, and what Aiden was referencing when he had said that Black Lion had talked to him. Keith also told Eimear about the warning the lion had given him, as well as the comment about humility and wisdom. She had hugged him, and said that however it worked out, she would always love him.

Keith helped Aiden with some math homework, and then they all had dinner together. It was nice to be with them, feeling loved and welcomed. It was hard to leave, and go back to his plain room at the Castle. It took him a while to fall asleep, the thoughts of Eimear jumbling together with images of his parents, while the fox from the cigarette case jumped over all the pictures.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Author's Note: This is another long chapter, but I'm trying to move the story along.**_

_**Sunny Days At The Seashore**_

_Helgidorre, North Arusian Ocean_

Their Graces, the Duke & Duchess of Strelitz were lying in bed, in the master suite of the royal summer palace. It was the middle of the day, and they had just made love, after eating lunch. Pidge was lightly sleeping, while Larmina was curled up next to him. She was worn out, but happy, their love making having been very strenuous.

They'd been up in Helgidorre for three days, and had not left the house once. Pidge had said that the purpose of a honeymoon was to have sex all the time, but she hadn't taken him seriously. Larmina had to admit though that it was wonderful to be with Pidge. As she thought that she snuggled closer to him, and felt him tighten his arm around her. She pulled up the sheet, and decided that a nap was not a bad idea.

"Mina, did I wear you out?" It was later in the afternoon, and Pidge's voice was softly laughing in her ear. He nuzzled very gently, as he said it, smelling the soft floral scent he liked so much. Her red hair was loose on the pillow, and he moved his face to rub against it. Her body was spooned against his, with his arm lying along her top leg.

"I think you should have told me about ninja sex before we were married, Pidge." Larmina rolled over to look up at him, as she replied to his question. His eyes were slightly sleepy, as he looked at her contentedly. She was amazed at his strength and stamina, and the sexual experiments he came up with.

"But think about how much fun we are having! We can make love anytime we like, and I don't have to sneak into your bedroom." Pidge retorted joyfully, as he bent down to kiss her. He felt her move against him, and was all set for another round of lovemaking. Larmina though had other ideas, and broke off the kiss.

"I think we need to go explore, Pidge. We haven't been out of the house since we arrived." She said, sitting up as she did so, which made him groan. He groaned even louder as he looked at her body, with the breasts erect, and the red hair flowing over the creamy skin. His shaft hardened even more as he looked at her, until the craving for her was too much.

Larmina found herself on her back, her arms pinned to the bed by Pidge's strong hands. She looked up and saw hot lust in his eyes, and realized that she wasn't going to get out of the bed for the rest of the afternoon or evening. Knowing just how strong Pidge was she surrendered quite happily to what he wanted.

The next morning Pidge rolled over, reaching for Larmina as he did so, but couldn't feel her. He slowly opened his eyes, and saw that he was alone in bed. From the sun coming through the windows he figured it was probably around 9:00am. He was wiped out after their marathon session of lovemaking yesterday afternoon, and all night. Pidge sat up carefully, being a little stiff, and started to do some simple stretches to loosen things up.

"Did you over do it, Darrell?" Larmina's voice teased from the doorway, as she watched him. He looked over, and admired the way the sun lit up her red hair, making it look like fire. Pidge was glad that she hadn't put it up, the way she wore it around the castle. He was also glad that only he got to see it loose and messy, not wanting to share it with anyone else. Pidge, once he, and Larmina were together, and discovered a possessive streak in him that he had not known about before.

"What are you doing up? And dressed?" Pidge broke off my admiring her hair, to notice that she had clothes on. He started to wonder what she had in mind.

"Not that I don't enjoy making love all the time, Pidge, but I want to swim in the ocean! I thought we could do a hike, have a picnic, and then make love on the beach." Larmina dangled the idea out there, hoping it would get him to go along with her plan.

"Make love on the beach, huh? And in the water?" Pidge decided that outdoor sex could be interesting, and the walk might be good for his muscles too. He looked at her, and noticed how the tight t-shirt outlined her full breasts. He didn't want to wait to feel them, he thought, as his cock hardened rapidly.

"Why don't you come keep me company while I get dressed, Mina?" Pidge suggested, with a charming smile. He started to get excited as Larmina took several small steps, just barely coming into the room. He felt his hopes go up, as his shaft throbbed in anticipation of getting her underneath him.

"You're not tricking me that way, Darrell Stoker! If I come any closer to that bed I will be in it for another day! We need fresh air, and I want to see the ocean. I am going to go ask the staff to pack some food for us." Larmina slowly backed out of the room, a teasing grin on her face.

"Mina, that was very naughty of you! Just for that, I might need to tie you up and do unpleasant things to you." Pidge leered at her, but she tossed her red hair as she left the room.

"Promises, promises, Pidge." The laughter in her voice echoed down the hallway. Pidge threw himself back against the pillows, and started to think of what he could do to her, for outwitting him. He then decided he needed to get up, the promise of sex on the beach a big draw.

The peninsula of Heligdorre juts out into the north part of the vast Arusian Ocean. When seen from above it looks like a tear drop, with the final point of land pushing out into the water. Along the edges that faced the shore were lavish estates, all with private beaches attached to them. On the inner part of the peninsula were smaller houses, and a small town.

The summer palace of the royal family was an elaborate structure of yellow stucco ornamented with white pilasters and ornate plasterwork. The main building was two stories, while the curved wings were one story each. It was set back from the road, surrounded by a high fence and elaborate wrought iron gates topped by the crest and arms of the royal family.

Pidge had been impressed with the grandeur of the place, especially after Larmina had referred to it as a summer house. He had to concede that compared to the Castle of Lions, you could consider the Heligdorre resort a house; it was just a matter of what your point of reference was he decided.

Walking across sandy soil with rough underbrush now, as he followed Larmina, he decided he needed to know what her point of reference was with Heligdorre. When she talked about it, she had made the place sound magical and perfect, so when she said she wanted to do their honeymoon there, Pidge had gone along. He wanted to make her happy, and he figured that they wouldn't have to worry about the paparazzi snapping unauthorized pictures of them. After the experience that Lance and Allura had gone through in Paris, he was very wary of the press. He'd already taken precautions for the Rome part of their trip.

He brought his mind back to Heligdorre, thinking that even the most ardent photographer wouldn't put up with the place. Pidge could admit the beach was nice to look at, but walking through scraggly shrubs and trees, while sliding on the sandy soil left something to be desired. He thought what Lance had told him, about the house at the hot springs resort where he and Allura had done the first part of their honeymoon. Pidge was willing to bet that Lance had not walked through anything like this.

Of course, Pidge reasoned, Lance had planned the honeymoon down to the last detail. He'd not even told Allura where they were going, wanting her to relax and not have to deal with anything. He knew though that Lance called all the shots in his relationship with Allura. He chuckled at the thought that even though Allura was Queen of Arus, Lance was King of the Castle. It had been amusing to watch some of the government officials and household staff make that realization.

Pidge had been skeptical when Larmina had told him that Lance would be a better husband for Allura, than Keith, just not seeing it at the time. However, he knew now that she'd been right, as she'd been right about so many other things. Larmina wasn't a genius, but Pidge knew that she could read people almost perfectly. She said it was because of her years of eavesdropping, and spying.

That was something that he liked about his wife, she was always direct about things. Pidge knew that Larmina could come across as tactless and brusque, but knew that she meant well. He had been incredibly impressed, for that reason, with how well she handled the trip to New Balto. When he'd told her that, Larmina had said that Allura had told her that she'd needed to think about his happiness too.

Larmina led him out to the point of the peninsula, right on the edge of the beach. In back of them was the ruin of an elaborate house, and overgrown gardens that he could tell had once been immaculately groomed. An elaborate gazebo stood in ruins, just off of the beach, and Pidge could imagine how beautiful it must have been, with a perfect view of the ocean.

Over a very delicious lunch, Pidge asked her why she loved Helgidorre so much. He learned that she would come there every summer with her father, even into the first years of the war. Prince Andrei was an army officer, who was transferred to several different commands over the period of his service.

"My dad was incredible Pidge, no matter where he went he always took me with him. I guess it made my grandfather, Aunt Allura's father, really angry. He thought I should have stayed at the Castle, instead of being dragged from one army command to another. Which is rather funny, because my grandfather assigned my dad to all those places!" Larmina exclaimed, but smiled as she did so.

Pidge saw that Prince Andrei was very attached to his daughter, and he could understand why. He realized that when he had children he would want them with him, no matter what. Of course he would want Mina there too, he thought. Larmina's father received high marks in Pidge's mind, for standing up to King Alfor about the issue. He reached over and hugged her, letting her know that he understood what this place represented to her. A few sand flies were a small price to pay for her happiness, he reasoned.

"This spot is incredible, honey! Why isn't the summer palace here, instead of the next parcel down?" Pidge decided to change the subject, also being very curious. He and Larmina had looked at some different locations around the Castle of Lions for their house, but had not decided on one yet. They both wanted to see the lake, but didn't want the Castle looming over their house.

"Turtle Point, as this parcel is called, is the big scandal of the resort – in more ways than one!" Larmina relished talking about her favorite place on Arus, especially with a captive audience. As she thought about the word captive, she remembered Pidge saying he was going to tie her up. The whole idea intrigued her, and she decided that if she could get him to tie her up, then she could tie him up. She gave him a knowing smirk, and he wondered what it was concerning.

"Heligdorre has only been in existence for forty or fifty years, and came about because of a ghastly hurricane." Larmina informed him, continuing on with the story of the resort. "This area used to be known as Hugel Am Meer, or 'Hill by the Sea'. It was a raised area of land, and everyone had houses around the base of the mountain, such as it was."

She went on to explain about the great hurricane that leveled the peninsula, flooding most of the land. It had taken almost five years to reclaim the area, and by then it was flat land, instead of the small mountain. The area was redeveloped by a firm that envisioned a whole planned community.

"The royal family was supposed to have this parcel, but at the last minute a nouveau riche industrialist came in and was willing to pay ten times more than the land was worth. My great-grandfather didn't want to get into a bidding war with the man, and let him have it. However, the man's actions made a lot of people angry at him." Larmina laid the whole story out for Pidge.

"Well what happened? This place is in ruins now." Pidge was very curious about how the prime spot on the peninsula was untouched.

"It is very nasty and sad all at the same time. The man was actually from somewhere else, and there were stories that he had made his money illegally. He had a beautiful daughter, who was supposed to marry a nobleman, but instead she fell in love with someone else. There are various theories about what happened, but at the end of the day, the father was dead, and the daughter was gone. Anyway, the property is in legal hell." Larmina regaled Pidge with the story.

"How do you know all this?" Pidge, as enthralled as he was with the story of Turtle Point, had to wonder how Mina knew about something that had happened before she was born.

"Family diaries, of course! Plus, Count Fredericks's mother used to be my etiquette teacher. She had been 'Mistress of the Robes' to my great-grandmother, which meant she oversaw court life. By the time she was with me she was old, lonely, and liked brandy! I would smuggle her brandy, and she would tell me all the gossip!" Larmina laughed happily at the memory of the old woman.

Pidge thought about how close she and Count Fredericks were, and it all made sense. He laughed, picturing Larmina and the old lady chatting together very happily, with the Count beaming in the background. He looked over at the ruins again, and his eye was caught by the gazebo, which reminded him of the one in the rose garden, by the Castle.

"Hey Mina, before I ravish you on the beach, can we go look at the gazebo?" Pidge asked, with a wicked grin on his face. Larmina smiled happily, both at the thought of exploring Turtle Point, and the idea of Pidge ravishing her. She was also wondering how to bring up the subject of being tied up to him.

The gazebo had been a large, six sided structure in its heyday, Pidge reasoned, from looking at the base that was still there. One of the sides still had most of the wall, and posts, while three other sides only had the low wall left. Larmina and Pidge were poking around the structure, cleaning away some of the brush.

"Pidge, I think there is something in this wall here, look at that spot." Larmina motioned him over, and he peered at the crumbling wall. He used his voltcom to put protective gloves over his hands as he pulled at the wood.

"Stand back honey, I don't know what is going to pop out here." He told her, as he worked on the section. Pidge cleared away enough wood to reach in and grab the object that had caught Larmina's attention. He brought out an oilskin bag, in remarkably good shape, considering what it had been exposed to.

"Let's go back to the beach, to the blanket, and look at it there." Pidge suggested, as he saw Larmina all set to sit down on the floor of the rotting structure. She smiled at him in agreement, deciding that the floor really did look nasty.

They went back to the blanket, and sitting down put the parcel between them. Larmina reached over picked the object up, as she took the oilskin off. She gasped in amazement when it revealed a lovely rectangular box. It was made of wood, with inset panels of different Arusian wildflowers, beautifully painted.

"Pidge, this must have been very special to someone! I don't think I've seen anything like this before. Look at how well painted the flowers are. Why do you suppose it was wrapped up, and hidden in that old structure?" She was carefully examining the box from all sides, trying to figure out how to open it.

"There has to be a way to open it, but I can't find it!" Larmina declared impatiently. Pidge smiled at her, as she tilted her head to look at the underside of the box. "Hey, one of these painted panels is raised up a little bit, but none of the others are!" She exclaimed, rubbing it with a slender finger, pressing the edges.

Suddenly the top of the box opened up and Larmina dropped it in surprise. Pidge picked it up and looked inside, seeing leather bound book, and a glint of gold under it. He handed the book to Larmina, and reached inside to pick up the gold item. Pidge pulled it out, and held it up for her to see.

"Wow, look at how detailed it is! Pidge, it is very old though, I can tell by the color of the gold. I wonder who it belonged to?" Larmina put the book aside and took the ring from Pidge. The circle was made by a fox holding its tail in its mouth. The head and tail were intricately detailed, but looking closer she could see signs of wear on the underside of the ring. The fox's eyes were emeralds, while the tail was inset with small pieces of amber, giving the gold the 'russet' look that a fox had.

"Mina, didn't you say that the owner of the house had a daughter, and a boyfriend her father didn't like? Maybe this was hers, and she kept it hidden in the gazebo so it wouldn't be found." Pidge speculated, as he watched Larmina put the ring on her finger.

"Oh, maybe they would meet in the gazebo, so they wouldn't get caught. It is so romantic, but sad at the same time." Larmina's face took on a sorrowful expression as she took the ring off, saying "The thought that the daughter was the last person to wear this is rather, well, morbid. Let's see what the book is."

Larmina put the ring back in the box, and picked up the small leather book gingerly. She opened it and started flipping through pages, scanning the writing quickly. Pidge saw her eyes widen as she suddenly dropped the book and stared at it in shock.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you all right?" Pidge didn't know why she was looking like she was, but he didn't like it.

"Pidge, the writing, I mean, I can't read it, but I've seen it before! Lance's cigarette case; oh god the fox!" Larmina was almost hyperventilating as it all came together in her mind. She asked Pidge hurriedly "Didn't my Aunt send you the inscription, to translate?"

By now he was starting to feel like he'd come into a play that was half way done, and having missed the first act was never going to get caught up. Larmina realized that Allura had never sent Pidge the inscription, so she explained everything to him. He was as fascinated as she was by the story that might be told.

"When we get back to the house, I'll set this up to run through a micro translator. Once we figure out the basis for the language, we can work on a translation program for it." Pidge offered, as he put the journal back in the box, which he then put into the oilskin. He then looked up at her with a mischievous grin on his face as he inquired "Mina, didn't you say something about sex on the beach? And in the water?" Larmina laughed as she nodded her head, before she started to take the tight t-shirt off. As he admired the view, Pidge decided that Helgidorre was not too bad after all.

The next morning Pidge and Larmina were having breakfast on a balcony that overlooked the ocean. They had made love on the beach, as well as the water, which had been an incredible experience. They went back later that night, because Larmina wanted to see the moon over the ocean. That gave them the opportunity to have sex under the stars. They were very tired when they arrived back at the house, and fell right asleep.

"I need to go take a shower; I have sand in my hair!" Larmina informed Pidge, as she rubbed at her scalp. He smiled at her, remembering how the sand had ended up there.

"Can I take one with you? Just think of the water we will conserve?" Pidge asked with a sly grin. He was about to say something else, but then heard a ringing coming from inside the bedroom. Larmina followed him as he walked into the room, over to the holoscreen that was displayed in the far corner of the room. Larmina remembered that he'd scanned several pages from the book into the language system, yesterday evening.

"Well, now this is a surprise!" Pidge said, as he looked at what was displayed on the holoscreen. Larmina gave him an expectant look, as he quickly referenced several other programs on the screen. She didn't like the look that he had on his face, as he read what was in front of him.

"The language is Drule based, Larmina but the dialect is from the now gone Nis Pirot system." Pidge informed her, as he kept on reading what was in front of him.

"Pidge, I've never heard of that planetary system. Why would the language be Drule based?" Larmina was very well versed in linguistics, and was puzzled at why she had not been able to recognize the language.

"The Nis Pirot system was made up of planets, and various moons. The main planet in the system, Odzaci, was populated by humanoids like us. However, the planet was loyal to the Drule Empire, with the language, government, and economy all modeled after Planet Doom." Pidge informed her slowly.

"Why would a planet of humanoids be allied with the Drules? And what happened to the system?" Larmina had a perplexed frown on her face, trying to work it out in her mind.

"The system was very close geographically to Planet Doom, so there were economic benefits in the alliance is what it shows here." Pidge apprised her, and watched as she thought about what he'd said. He went on to say that the system had been annihilated at the beginning of the war, as the Drules and the Galaxy Alliance forces escalated the conflict.

"Pidge, I don't like the implication of this, Drule allies living next door to my family." Larmina had an unpleasant feeling in her stomach, as she said it. "I want to get this book translated as soon as possible." She added, feeling a sense of urgency she didn't understand.

"Honey, it's not going to be easy or quick. I will have to re-assemble the language, from old Drule documents. After that, each page of the book will need to be scanned, and then translated. It will have to wait until we get back to the Castle, where the resources are." Pidge understood why she wanted to do it, and wished there was a faster way.

"Really? Well can you start to re-assemble the language, and then I can do the rest when we get back? I can wait a couple of weeks, even though it will be hard." Larmina sighed, as she fingered the book. They were at Heligdorre for a few more days, before heading to Rome.

"Mina, if you don't want to go to Rome we can always go back to the Castle. However, I had several fun things planned for us to do there. I also rented a fifteenth century palace for us to stay at; I think it is grander than the Castle of Lions." Pidge teased her, and watched as an indigent look came over her face.

"Nothing is grander than the Castle of Lions, I will have you know! I do want to go to Rome though; Count Fredericks told me about the shops and the restaurants." Larmina hugged Pidge as she said it, and he smiled happily. He had done some research on lingerie shops, and had found the perfect one to take her to. Pidge was also going to make sure that some picture crazy tourist didn't snap pictures of them shopping.

It was over three weeks later when they returned to Arus, much to Hunk and Vince's joy. They had been rather lonely, and while Lance and Allura tried to spend time with them, they had other things to do a lot of the time. Keith had left the day before Larmina and Pidge returned, while Daniel had left after the wedding.

Pidge and Larmina had enjoyed themselves in Rome, and she came back with a large collection of lace trimmed silk and satin underwear. She had also let Pidge tie her up one night, and by the time they were done neither of them could barely walk the next day, being totally worn out. The next night Larmina had tied Pidge up, but being the ninja that he was, he managed to get out of the bonds. They still made passionate love though, as he tore a teal green lace teddy off of her.

It took Larmina several days, after they had returned to get the book translated. Pidge had re-assembled the language for her, but the tedious part was scanning each page into the system. Allura had sent her the copy she'd done, of the inscription from Lance's cigarette case. Larmina had not said anything about finding the box, ring, and book though. She wanted to see what the book revealed. Her aunt had not asked why she wanted the copy of the inscription, which relieved Larmina as she didn't have a plausible excuse to give her.

The book turned out to be a diary, and Larmina read it one night while Pidge was down working in the hanger bay. He'd been reworking some programming on the defense system, and it had taken longer than he thought it would. He didn't get upstairs until almost 1:00am and was surprised to find Larmina still reading the diary. Pidge asked her if she'd come across anything interesting.

"Not really, it's just nasty, unpleasant, but rather sad too!" Larmina replied, and went on to tell him about the girl and what the diary said. She finished up her tale with the comment "I wish she would've used names, instead of initials. It would be interesting to see what happened to some of the people she talked about."

"Well at least you know how the cigarette case and fox ring tie together. That's more than you knew when you found the box." Pidge offered her, as he snuggled next to her, propped up against the pillows. He put his arms around her, and she set the diary aside to snuggle with him. It was so much more pleasant than what had been in the diary she thought.

The next day Pidge was in his office mid-morning. Lance had run morning drills already, with Vince flying Red Lion. Vince had been flying Red, since with Keith being gone Lance had Black Lion. Larmina and Pidge had giggled about how hot and sweaty Vince always was when he was done. Pidge didn't know it, but his lion had told Red about how Vince had spied on Pidge & Larmina. Red liked to tease as much as Lance did, so he gave Vince the full 'hot shoulder' treatment.

Pidge didn't use his office a lot, as he preferred to work in the hanger bay or control room. He was at loose ends since Larmina was off at a meeting of the art museum. Hunk and Vince were at the Hunkyard, while Lance was in town at the GA base, attending meetings. He assumed that Allura was working in her study with Coran, but wasn't interested enough to ask.

Putting those thoughts out of his mind, he tackled the pile that had built up on his desk. The majority of it went into the recycling bins, but a couple of product demos looked interesting. Pidge was almost to the bottom of the pile when he came across a wrapped package, with no information on the outside. When he opened it he saw a note in Keith's handwriting, explaining what he wanted Pidge to do.

He had known that Keith was trying to figure out his family's history, and how he'd ended up on earth. Pidge looked at the book, whose cover had animals drawn on it, some he recognized, but a few that he didn't. He found it interesting that it had belonged to Keith's mom, and he smiled at the idea that their no-nonsense commander had held onto a childhood book.

Pidge opened the book, to see what was inside it. He felt a tingle in his spine when he recognized the language right away. Pidge took several deep breaths, trying to gather his thoughts. The chances of what he was seeing were almost nil. Pidge tried to do a complicated statistical analysis in his head, to figure out the probability of what he was thinking being possible. He gave up finally, and decided Mina needed to see this; he also needed to see her badly.

Larmina arrived back from the museum tired and hungry, but she wanted to change her clothes first. She was surprised, when she entered her room to see Pidge there, with a table set for lunch. Her mouth watered as she smelled something delicious coming from under the covered plates. Larmina ran over and hugged Pidge, who kissed her passionately.

"Mmm, what do I owe all this to?" She asked when they stopped kissing. He smiled, and held out a chair for her to sit on.

"Can't I just want to have lunch with my wife; you know I do like to say that, Mina. Anyway, I wanted a private lunch with you, so this seemed the best way." Pidge told her with a happy grin. It was the truth, but he had also wanted to talk to her about the book, and the diary. He knew too well that most of the Castle walls had ears, but thought their bedroom would be safe.

"This is so good! I was really hungry." Larmina informed him, as she took a bite of the food. She told him about the meeting at the museum, and then they talked about Stereolatic's upcoming show at the final of the football league game. Pidge waited until they were done, before he brought up what he'd really wanted to talk about.

"Mina, I have some happy news, and some unpleasant news. Can I tell you the happy news first?" Pidge asked, taking her hand. She looked at him, wondering where this was going, and nodded her head. Larmina watched as he brought up a holoscreen that had an overview of the Castle and grounds on it. He tapped one part of it and suddenly a smaller version of the palace at Heligdorre appeared, nestled against the edge of the lake. The building was angled so only a small part of the big Castle was visible.

"Pidge, it's perfect! I love it!" Larmina declared, as she studied the design. They chatted about the structure, and he showed her the floor plans. She was touched that he had used the basic style of Heligdorre for the house design.

"The happy news was really happy Pidge, so does that mean the unpleasant news is really bad?" Larmina asked, after they finished talking about the house. He shut down the holoscreens, and gave her a serious look.

"Mina, you remember the diary that we found?" Pidge started out, wanting to go slow. Larmina nodded her head, so he pressed on "I remember you said that the girl used initials, instead of names right?"

"Yes, she did so it will be impossible to figure out who anyone is. Really, what is the point of keeping a diary if you aren't going to spill all the details?" Larmina huffed as she thought of it.

"Were her boyfriend's initials KK, and her name started with an E?" Pidge inquired carefully. He watched as Larmina gave him a surprised look.

"I didn't know you had read the diary Pidge?" She was puzzled, as it wasn't the type of reading he did. Thinking that, she noticed the odd look he had on his face, and didn't understand his interest in the diary.

"Larmina, the girl in the diary is Keith's mother, and the boy his father. The fox is the main symbol in his family's coat of arms." Pidge laid it out, and went on to explain about the book that Keith had given him. Keith had also included everything he'd learned about his family from the Chapter House, so Pidge told Larmina all of that too.

"Oh, no, it can't be Pidge! Keith will die if he knows what his mother was." Larmina wailed, as she thought about some of the things the girl had written about. Pidge looked at her with sympathy, understanding what she was saying.

"Mina, you are going to have to tell him, he has the right to know what happened. The box and the ring also belong to him now." Pidge's voice was gentle as he put his arms around her. She snuggled against him, knowing he was right. As she thought about the box and the ring, something else came to her mind.

"Keith owns Turtle Point! That is a huge parcel of land, I wonder if he will rebuild?" Larmina exclaimed, and then giggled "He and my Aunt are neighbors!" That had Pidge chuckling too, before she realized something else.

"Pidge, that means that Lance's cigarette case belonged to Keith's father. There is a bit of irony for you." Larmina knew how Keith felt about smoking, and had overheard him lecturing Lance once. She had chuckled when Lance had told Keith to go fuck himself. She told Pidge that, who nodded his head knowingly.

"Lance has told him that on more than one occasion, honey. Keith means well, but should really mind his own business." Pidge told her in a firm tone. He really didn't understand why Keith couldn't leave it alone, since Lance never smoked around Keith. Privately he was surprised that Lance had not slugged Keith after one of those lectures.

"Well Keith is going have other things to think about, once he finds out about his parents and grandfathers." Larmina announced, shaking her head as she did so. The diary had been hard for her to read, being as pro-Arusian as she was.

"Let's not say anything to Lance about the cigarette case until after you've talked to Keith." Pidge suggested, and she agreed with his advice.

"I'm glad that Keith is gone for a couple more days, because I am not looking forward to talking to him about this. I hope that he can see that at the end his mother did the right thing." Larmina sighed, as she thought about everything in the journal.

"Well when you talk to Keith I would make a point to emphasize that to him." Pidge told her, still holding her. "What do you think about a nap, Mina?" Pidge's voice was soft as he started kissing her neck.

"Why do I think that sleeping is not what you have on your mind?" Larmina laughed as she moved against him. Pidge picked her up and carried her over to the bed, where they spent the rest of the afternoon.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Author's Note: Fall River Ranch is actually a composite of several guest/dude ranch resorts around the Rocky Mountains. **_

_**Warning: Lemon Alert**_

_**Rocky Mountain High**_

Keith and Eimear were heading up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the first couple of days of their vacation. They had arrived on earth two days ago, and while Keith had attended to business at GA Headquarters, Eimear had done some shopping and sightseeing. She had stayed at a very elegant hotel that Keith arranged, while he roomed at the BOQ on the base.

They had talked about it before they left, and he had explained the reason why. He knew that there weren't as many prying eyes around GA Headquarters, as on Arus, but there were still enough. Keith didn't want any unsavory gossip surrounding his relationship with her.

There was another reason, but he hadn't told her that one. Keith was very afraid that if they'd slept together right away he wouldn't make it to any of his meetings. He found it hard to be around her and not want to touch her. As it was kissing her good night almost pushed him over the edge, and he knew she felt the same way. It had been hard to focus during the meetings, if he started thinking about her.

The only issue with the trip had been Aiden, with Keith wondering whether Eimear would want to leave him, after he'd been so sick. She had reassured him that it would be fine, with the timing being perfect. His school was going on break, and his best friend had invited him to spend the vacation at his family's country estate. Keith's heart had soared when she'd added the comment that she was looking forward to some time with just him. He already felt like Aiden was his own son, but knew that Eimear needed love and attention too.

Keith had been thrilled when he'd found out that one of her favorite places, from when she lived on earth with her parents, was a place that he loved too. Her father had been the Arusian Ambassador to earth for almost ten years, and every summer her family had gone to Yellowstone for a vacation. Keith was even happier when he learned that she knew how to fly fish, and actually enjoyed the activity.

Eimear had been very pleased when he suggested going to Yellowstone for the first part of their trip. The last couple of days they were going to the wine country of Napa, because she wanted to study viticulture, with an eye towards implementing it on one of her estates. Keith thought it sounded interesting, so he was looking forward to learning something new. He was still surprised, at just how easy it was to be with her, and how they understood each other so well.

"You need to tell me about the place we are staying Keith?" Eimear asked, as the aircraft circled around the small landing port that served the area. Keith smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder as she looked out the window.

"It is called Fall River Ranch, and is on the north-eastern side of the park, honey. There is a main lodge with several restaurants, and an indoor pool, as well as individual cabins. We are staying in one of the cabins, right by the river." Keith informed her, hoping that she would like it.

"It sounds lovely, and I love the idea of being on the river!" Eimear exclaimed, smiling at him. She was excited, but nervous at what the next week was going to be like. The last time she'd been with a man had been Percy, but he'd always had his parents in residence.

At the landing port they were met by a hovertaxi that took them to the property and a steward showed them to their cabin. Eimear couldn't believe how luxurious it was, with the well polished wood, beautiful stonework, and tasteful furnishings. A large fireplace was already going, and comfortable looking furniture upholstered in bright colors was grouped around it. The rugs were Native American work, and offset the room perfectly.

"I will have you know that the cabins we stayed in when I was a kid did not look like this!" Eimear announced as she took in the room, and then looked over to the kitchen, which was a state of the art room with gleaming granite countertops.

"If my cook saw this she would think she was in heaven." She commented, as she walked around and admired the dining room. She noticed French doors, between the living and dining rooms that opened up to a patio. Stepping out she saw chairs, a small dining set and an elaborate, large grill, as well as a hot tub. The river was only a few feet away, and she could hear it rushing by. It was like the cabin was the only thing in the landscape, and she liked how quiet and private it was.

Keith had been watching her delightedly, and he was glad now that he had talked to Lance about accommodations. He had not wanted to involve Lance in this trip, but then realized that his friend was a valuable resource. Lance had surprised him by not making any snarky remarks, and had given him the name of the travel firm his family used. He realized that his friend was happy for him, and only wanted to help.

He followed her outside, and admired the view from the patio of the cabin. It was late afternoon, and the sun was low in the sky, as the air cooled down. While they were standing there a small elk herd came out from the wooded area, further downstream from the cabin. They watched as the beautiful animals drank from the river, and then grazed along the banks.

"Wow, they are so close! Keith this is incredible!" Eimear declared in a soft voice, as she turned to look at him. He wasted no time in putting his arms around her, and pulling her very close, proceeded to kiss her deeply. She was soft and warm, and he loved how she felt against him.

"Honey, I love you very much, you know that, right?" Keith asked when they stopped kissing, and she nodded her head. She was still surprised at how it had all worked out, and thinking that she hugged him tighter.

"Eimear, I don't want to do anything you are not ready for. The cabin has two bedrooms, and I will certainly understand if you want to take one. I love you very much, and I only want to do what you want." Keith told her in a reverent voice, wanting her to understand that he would give her as much time as she needed.

She looked at him, so handsome as he stared at her with love, and was afraid she was going to cry. It was hard to believe that he would make that offer, only caring about her happiness. Eimear realized that she'd never had anyone care about what she wanted before, and she told Keith that.

"Honey, your happiness is what is important to me. I want to spend time with you, talk to you, and enjoy your company. I love you, and want to make love to you, but will wait as long as you want. I am, in spite of the past five years, a very honorable man and would never do anything to disrespect you." Keith spoke truthfully, just being grateful that she loved him.

"Oh Keith, I love you so much. Thank you for that, you are an incredible, honorable, gentleman." Eimear smiled at him, and then he saw a twinkle in her eye, before she continued on "Just so you know, the last time I had sex I was barely eighteen, the war was on, there was no heat in the house, and my in-laws were in the room next to Percy and me."

Keith realized that she'd never been with anyone else besides her husband, and he remembered that they had not spent a lot of time together. He suddenly felt bad for her, thinking how young and scared she must have been, married to someone she didn't know, and living with her husband's parents. As he was processing all that, he heard her talking again.

"I don't want the other bedroom, I want to share your bedroom, and I want you to make love to me Keith." Eimear informed him in a decided tone, as she laughed adding "I really want to see what sex is like under great conditions!" Keith saw the humor in what she was saying, and laughed along with her. He was also over the moon that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

"Since we have that settled, let's unpack, and get dressed for dinner. The lodge has a four star restaurant and a wine cellar just as good. We have reservations there in just a while, so I hope you are hungry." Keith informed her, privately thinking about what he had planned for after dinner. There had been one thing that had concerned him, until he had decided that it wasn't really necessary right then.

They enjoyed a leisurely walk over to the main lodge, along a lighted path, as the sky changed from pink to dark blue. The lodge was an incredible structure, with the main foyer soaring over three stories high composed of exposed beams and large panes of glass set at geometric angles. The chandeliers were works of art themselves, being floating blown glass structures.

In contrast the restaurant was small, warm, and intimate, being done in shades of brown with gold and beige accents. Their table was in a quiet corner, with a window that overlooked an open space that faced east, to take advantage of the stars rising in the sky. Eimear had on a black suede skirt with an embossed designed, and a grey-blue silk blouse, low cut, the exact color of her eyes. Her pale blonde hair was loose, flowing over her shoulders.

They had Johnny Walker Black Label scotch on the rocks, and she was intrigued when she saw what the 'rocks' were. He explained that the small squares of stone were designed to be frozen, so they would chill the scotch, without diluting it. She had laughed delightedly, saying her father would have loved the idea.

Over a meal that included elk medallions in a blueberry cabernet sauce, quail in a jalapeño cream sauce, and an elaborate appetizer of marrow bones, he learned about her family, while he told her about some of his adventures in the galaxy. Eimear had insisted on ordering the wine, picking the top Californian selections from the extensive wine list the restaurant offered.

When they were done, they walked back to the cabin, but by a roundabout route. The path was still well lit, but it took them over a small bridge to the other side of the river. Eimear was enchanted to see a small arbor, lit with soft white lights that formed an arch above them.

"Keith, this is just amazing! It is so beautiful, and the dinner was just wonderful." She told him, as she looked at him with warmth and love. The arch overlooked the river, and they were both taken aback to see a snowy owl with a huge wing span swoop down over the river. His white wings reflected in the water with an almost surreal glow.

"Eimear, you are the one who is wonderful, and what you have brought to my life can't be measured. I was such a fool, but you loved me enough to stick by me, which means everything to me. Would you do me the honor of marrying me? And letting me be a step-father to Aiden? I promise I will love and care for both of you!" Keith had gone down on one knee as he started his speech, and it took her a minute to realize what he was doing.

She looked down at him, kneeling before her with love and adoration, and started to shake. When he mentioned Aiden she understood what kind of a man he was, and she felt so humble standing before him. Eimear couldn't even form words to say anything, and saw him look concerned.

"Honey, I don't have a ring because I didn't know what you wanted! I will give you whatever you like, but I really need you to pick it out!" Keith confessed rapidly, hoping that she understood. He had been dismayed to find out that graduates of the Arusian Military Academy had the same tradition of a 'miniature' as New West Point did.

He was pretty sure that Percy had done that already, and he knew that Lance and Pidge had also followed the tradition. Keith somehow felt that Eimear should have something different if she wanted whatever it was. He felt her shaking, and he stood up to take her in his arms.

"Keith, yes I'll marry you! I am the lucky one though. You care about me and Aiden, and have always been so good to us. I've never had anyone treat me like you've done, or shared their love with me. That is enough; I don't need an engagement ring." Eimear was almost in tears as she spoke to him, never having thought she would be this happy. Keith nuzzled against her ear, as he felt her body against him.

"Yes, you do need an engagement ring, honey! I also need to ask Aiden's permission I guess, right?" Keith whispered in her ear, his breath warm and soft on her skin. His lips lightly touched the lobe of her ear, before his tongue gently licked it. He heard her moan softly at what he was doing, and he felt fire course through his body.

"Aiden will be very happy, Keith. He has not understood why you couldn't stay with us all the time." Eimear managed to get the words out, even though she felt like her brain had totally shut down. His hands were in her hair, and stroking the back of her neck. He moved his lips further down her neck, letting his tongue taste the soft skin. Keith started lightly kissing the spots he was licking, and she melted against him as her arms went around his waist.

"Eimear, I think we need to get to the cabin, so I don't ravish you out here." Keith panted, as his body responded to the way she pressed against him. She looked at him with longing, and nodded her head.

"The big bed in the room looked very comfortable, Keith." She informed him in a soft, teasing tone, and as he thought about the bed with the snowy white bedding, he agreed with her. They made it back to the cabin in record time, and then Keith picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He struggled with his self-control as he started kissing her hard and deep, while his hands were all over her soft, warm body.

Her hands were ruffling his hair, as her tongue dueled with his in the kiss. Eimear felt his hands everywhere, as they aroused feelings she had never felt before. She felt him caress one of her breasts through the silk blouse, and she felt a shock wave go through her body. Arching closer to give him more to feel, she felt his hard shaft against her thigh respond.

Keith was like a hungry man at a banquet, and suddenly he wanted to feel and taste her skin badly. He had her blouse off quickly, but was distracted by her bra of grey lace. It was beautiful, and he could see her pink nipples just peeping through the lace. He growled as he took his hands and cupped the full breasts, as the nipples hardened against his fingers.

Eimear heard him as he stroked her breasts, his touching of her nipples sending white hot waves over her body. His lips were on her neck, kissing and nipping, as his hands played with her breasts, making her even more aroused and wet than she already was.

"Very pretty underwear, honey, but I want to feel your skin." Keith murmured in her ear as he took her bra off. He then undid her skirt and pushed it over her hips to the floor. He stopped what he was doing to look at her full curves, and pale smooth skin. He looked surprised when he saw that she had a thong on, the grey lace barely covering the dark gold curly hair in her groin.

"Surprised, Commander Kogane? Women like lavish, lace trimmed underwear." Eimear purred, and it took Keith a minute to get the reference, and then he burst out laughing. She was so full of surprises, which always kept him on his toes. He ran his hands over her hips, using his fingers to gently pull down the grey satin bands of the thong.

"Is that what you shopped for, while I was in meetings? Thank goodness I didn't know, or I would have been a complete basket case." Keith responded, after she had nodded her head. If he had known, he thought, they probably would have ended up in bed right away. He picked her up and carried her over to the big bed, and she nestled against the pillows.

Eimear watched him take his clothes hurriedly, noticing how he was bulging in his boxer shorts. She forgot about that though when she saw the rough, slightly pink scar tissue on his chest. It took her breath away, trying to think of what had caused a wound like that.

"Keith, how did you get the scar on your chest?" Eimear asked, lightly touching it as Keith lay down next to her. He closed his eyes as her warm fingers gently traced the outline, and felt the uneven texture of the skin.

"Oh, this Drule named Lotor took a dislike to me, and in one of our battles he cut me open." Keith tried to be matter-of-fact about it, but Eimear saw the flash of agony on his face. She reached down and lightly kissed it, letting her tongue feel the uneven edges. He groaned in response to what she was doing, her lips and tongue feeling like flames on his skin.

"You must be the bravest man in the galaxy, Keith Kogane." Eimear declared as Keith brought her head up to his face. He looked at her eyes, the pupils slightly large, and saw that she was looking at him with love and admiration. He started kissing her again, as his hands explored her back and pulled her close against him.

Eimear was lying next to him, enjoying how their bodies felt together, the skin touching. She'd never been naked with a man before, and the experience was overwhelming her. When she and Percy had been together, she'd worn a nightgown that he had lifted up just enough to get access to her. It came to her that Keith would have torn said nightgown off of her, and the idea pushed her arousal even higher than what it was. Keith's hands had slid down to her rear end, and he molded her against his erection. She let out a moan, as her hips moved against his in need.

Keith's hand had found its way to one of her breasts, stroking it, while his thumb brushed against the hard pink nipple. She arched against him, moaning even louder as her body lost all control, wanting nothing more than to respond to his. His scent was intoxicating, and Eimear wanted to be one with him.

He felt her surrender to him, as he moved his lips down to her neck, and then to her chest. He was on fire, and it was taking everything not to plunge into her right then and there. He had been licking and nipping her skin, loving the taste of it, as well as how it felt. When he took the rosy tipped nipple into his mouth and starting sucking, he heard her let out a scream of pleasure.

She was past coherent thought, her body responding in ways that she didn't understand, as her hands explored his body. Eimear couldn't believe how well built he was, or how good he felt as she slid her hands down his back, and on his sides. Keith felt her exploring, which only pushed him closer to the edge, that, and the sounds she was making.

As he was sucking and nibbling on her other nipple he moved so she was underneath him, and he felt her hips rise up against him. Keith felt a hot surge go through his body, and into his shaft, which made him growl with hunger. He moved his face up to hers, and looked at her, seeing the passion and desire in her eyes.

"Eimear I love you." Keith's voice was ragged as he told her that, before he plunged into her, not being able to wait any longer. She was hot and wet, and he slid in easily in spite of her being tight, as she welcomed him. He started to move, but then realized that she wasn't moving in time with him; in fact she was barely moving at all.

She had not believed how good it felt when Keith entered her, filling her completely and feeling so perfect. Eimear had never experienced anything like this before, and her body was having a hard time dealing with all the emotions being released. She felt him move, but didn't understand what she was supposed to do. At the back of her mind her thought was that it had never been like this with Percy; he would enter her and climax right away.

Keith at first didn't understand what was happening, and his hunger was starting to get the better of him. He wanted to thrust hard and deep, to satisfy his longing, and claim her as his. He looked at her though, and the shock in her eyes managed to cut through his desire. Keith suddenly understood that she had never made love before, only had had sex.

It took everything to slow down, but he thought about how much he loved her, and took several deep breaths. Keith whispered some instructions to her, and watched as she processed what he was telling her. He started to move very slowly, letting her move with him. It took a couple of times, and then she figured out what he wanted.

The sensations she was experiencing now made the earlier ones pale in comparison, as he started thrusting harder and faster. Keith felt her response to his strokes, as her hands grasped his rear end to get him deeper. She was moaning, and making throaty sounds as he kissed her neck and chest.

"Oh, wow, ah Oh please Keith." Eimear didn't know what she was asking for, only wanting Keith inside her core. He heard her pleading, and felt the way her body was moving, knowing what it wanted. That snapped the last piece of his control, as he started thrusting even harder, getting in as deep as possible.

Eimear heard him growl as he increased his pace, and she felt his cock deep in her core as it released what felt like a bolt of lightning throughout her body. She screamed his name loudly as her body arched against him, stiffening for a minute before the waves of pleasure almost drowned her.

Keith heard her screaming, and felt her body claim its release, and then felt his body do the same. He pumped long and hard into her, his warm seed filling her completely. Eimear was vaguely aware of Keith roaring in her ear as he climaxed, and the sound made her feel completely happy.

When they were done she clung to him, and he could feel her body still trembling from the passion it had experienced. Keith for his part felt warm, content, and thoroughly satisfied something he had never felt before. He gently stroked her hair while she calmed down and caught her breath.

"Keith, I'd never felt anything like that before. Is it always that way?" Eimear asked, almost shyly, still in awe at what had happened to her body. He looked at her with love, and felt very proud that he had been the one to make love to her for the first time. Whatever Percy's other fine qualities were, bedroom skills were not on the list.

"Honey, it actually gets better, as you do it more." Keith told her with a chuckle, and liked how her eyes widened as she heard what he was saying. "Let's rest for a little bit, and then we can test out what I just told you. I love you." Keith kissed her tenderly, and she snuggled against him feeling tired, but loved. She managed to tell him that she loved him, before she fell asleep.

It was the next morning, and Keith rolled over as he slowly woke up. He saw Eimear sitting up against the pillows, and smiled as he thought about last night. They had made love three more times, and she had readily agreed that it did get better each time. Thinking about the way she responded made his cock start to harden, and he looked up at her as he started stroking her arm.

"Honey, what is the matter?" Keith had seen a very worried look on her face, which didn't bode well in his mind.

"Keith, we have a problem. I mean, we messed up, I mean." Eimear was trying to articulate the fear that was in her mind. His heart sunk, and he wondered if she was sorry that they'd made love. Keith asked her that, and she shook her head, looking away from him.

"We didn't use any, what is the word, protection last night!" Eimear exclaimed, thinking in her mind not just once, but four times. Keith felt a wave of awareness sweep over him, and he knew what she was referring to. They had both been so aroused that the subject hadn't even had a chance to be brought up.

He looked at Eimear looking so upset and worried, and didn't understand why he didn't feel the same way. All of a sudden there was a picture in his mind of a little girl with his hair and Eimear's eyes, and it made him smile, a surge happiness overtaking his body. Keith realized that having children with Eimear would be a miraculous experience.

"Eimear, it is all right. I love you, and want to have children with you. If it happens right away, I don't have a problem with it." Keith sat up and took her in his arms, loving the way she felt. "Don't you want to have more children?" He asked, thinking that maybe she felt differently than he did.

"It's not that simple, Keith! I would love to have your children, but we're not married yet." Eimear was panicked at what she was going to tell Aiden, as well as what everyone would say. Keith's laughter did not reassure her.

"I would suggest we get married on earth, but I think Aiden would be unhappy with us. We can get married next week, when we get back. And this time, my dear, you are going to have a real wedding!" Keith remembered what she had told him, about her first marriage that took place during the war.

"Keith, we can't just have a wedding on the spur of the moment!" Eimear was staring at him like he was out of his mind, but he just pulled her a little closer.

"I happen to know a first rate wedding planner, who just recently did two over the top weddings, three months apart, and one of them with barely a month's notice. I think a wedding for us would be very simple. Where do you want to get married?" Keith was sure that Fredericks could handle their wedding, since he'd already done Allura's and Larmina's. He was also sure that if the Count balked, Allura would handle the man.

"You really think Count Fredericks would do our wedding? He is still mad at my grandmother! Where I want to get married?" Eimear was sure now that Keith, like all men, didn't understand the issue.

"Count Fredericks will do it, because it will make Allura happy. She likes you honey, and she is glad that we are together." Keith explained, knowing that it was the truth, and then asked again "Where do you want to get married?" He had an idea, but wanted to see what she was thinking of. Eimear though, was still in shock at the whole idea of a wedding happening that quickly.

"I know that I don't want a big church wedding that just seems like too much." Eimear finally said, but was drawing a blank on where else to get married, besides her house. She told Keith that, adding "That was what my first wedding was like.

"What do you think about the rose garden of the Castle, with the colonnade and gazebo overlooking the lake?" Since he'd been back to Arus that spot had been one of his favorites, and he thought it would be a perfect backdrop for a wedding. Eimear agreed with him, liking the idea. She was also relived that if they were married by next week, it wouldn't matter if she was pregnant or not.

"Keith, were you really serious, about not caring if I'm pregnant?" Eimear asked with a tremor in her voice, thinking back to the last time she was pregnant.

"Honey, I love you, and can hardly wait to have children with you, whether it happens in nine months or next year!" Keith declared, as she wrapped her arms around his chest. "I know that Aiden would probably like a little brother, but for some reason I'm thinking a little girl would be a lot of fun." He added, thinking about what he'd seen in his mind.

He heard her burst into tears, and felt the wetness on his skin. He used some of the sheet to blot up the tears, and let her cry before asking her what was wrong.

"Keith, when I was pregnant with Aiden, I was making baby clothes, and since I didn't know what sex the baby was, I made some pink outfits, for a little girl. My mother-in-law saw them and told me that I'd better not need them, because if I had a daughter they didn't owe me anything." Eimear could still see Percy's mother telling her that, hoping it would come to pass.

"So I'm guessing your mother-in-law was a witch?" Keith felt fury in him, as he imagined Eimear as an eighteen year old girl, widowed, pregnant, and scared to death. To threaten her with no home was crueler than anything he had ever heard of. "Honey, you will never have to be scared like that again. I am here, I love you, and I will take care of you and our children, sons and daughters." Keith informed her in a firm tone.

Eimear looked at him in wonder, knowing what he said was true, he would protect her. She started to cry again, but this time they were happy tears. When she finished, he kissed her tenderly and she kissed him back. Keith had thought they would have breakfast first, but now he decided that eating could wait, especially when Eimear started stroking his shaft, making it rock hard in no time. They ended up not getting breakfast until almost lunch time.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Stay By My Side**_

_**Warning: Lemon alert!**_

_Napa Valley_

Keith and Eimear spent four days in Yellowstone, and barely left the cabin. The lodge offered room service, so they didn't even have to go to the restaurant. They made love on the patio, in the hot tub, and on the granite counter top in the kitchen. She told him about Percy one night, when they were sitting in the hot tub drinking champagne. Keith appreciated that she was kind and generous in what she said about her ex-husband, but everything he learned confirmed what Keith had thought the first night they made love.

One of the few times Keith left the cabin was to use the communication center at the lodge. He talked to Aiden, with Eimear's blessing, about the wedding. Aiden felt very important when Keith asked him if it was all right, and said yes. He then asked if he could call Keith 'Dad', which touched Keith's heart. He also sent a note to Allura, outlining what he and Eimear were thinking about. Keith wished he was there to see her reaction, and how she dealt with Fredericks.

They never went fly fishing, or hiking, but really didn't care as they had the scenery from the deck to look at. As they were leaving the area they both giggled that they were probably the only people who went all the way to Yellowstone, and never saw the geyser.

Napa was at its peak when they arrived, and you could almost smell the grapes in the air. They stayed at an adobe style inn, nestled among rolling hills covered with grapes. Each beautiful guest suite was situated on its own private garden, with a fountain. The décor was spa like, very minimal but soft with lush fabrics and bedding.

Eimear insisted that they not spend all their time in the room, and they made it to several wineries. Keith was impressed with what she knew already about the industry, and the tours they had were all very technical. She had discussed the project with him beforehand, so he was able to participate in the discussions of what she was thinking about doing on her estate back home.

It was their last night on earth, and Keith had insisted on them having a private dinner in the garden just outside of the suite. Eimear was impressed with the meal that he had arranged, but it was dessert that surprised her the most. They'd already had a delicate lemon sorbet with an assortment of fresh berries, when the waiter set a small box on each of their plates.

The boxes were red, with gold trim and ribbon, displaying the name of the best chocolate shop in Napa. They were designed to hold two pieces of chocolate, and she knew that it was a specialty of the hotel restaurant to provide them at the end of the meal. Eimear already had several other boxes, unopened, that she planned on giving to Aiden. The chocolate was almost too rich for her, and she knew that her son would enjoy it.

"I think you should open your box, Eimear." Keith said in a nonchalant voice, as he opened his. She gave him a puzzled look, knowing that she usually didn't eat the chocolate. He smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling. Eimear decided to go along, wondering what he was up to. She undid the gold bow, and lifted the lid of the box.

Keith took pleasure in watching her eyes become very large, as she saw what was in the box. Eimear took the ring out gingerly, her hand shaking as she did so. There was a large radiant cut diamond in the center, flanked by two triangle cut diamonds, there bases flush against the sides of the center stone. The diamonds were set in platinum, creating a soft silver glow that offset the brilliant sparkles of the diamonds.

"What is this, Keith?" Eimear was holding the ring, totally surprised by what he'd done.

"That, my dear, is an engagement ring, and it is for you. I know that you think you don't need one, but I think that you do. If you don't like that one, we can always go shop for another one." Keith informed her in a pleased tone. He took the ring from her and holding her left hand slid it on her third finger, telling her he loved her as he did so.

"Keith, its beautiful! Oh, but you didn't need to do anything like this, really." Eimear was staring at the ring, memorized by how lovely it was, as well as how large.

"Do you like it is all that is important, honey." Keith stated, already knowing the answer by the look in her eyes. He had picked out during the half day they spent in San Francisco, after Yellowstone, and before they went to Napa. He had told her that he had some GA business to attend to, but in fact had purchased the ring.

"I love it! I wasn't expecting anything like this." She reached across the table to kiss Keith, and she found herself sitting in his lap. His hands were slowly exploring her body, while undoing her blouse. He broke off the kiss, and went to nuzzle her ear, then gently sucked on her ear lobe.

Her blouse was completely open and he was admiring the black silk bra decorated with small red roses. Keith noticed that the rose between her breasts was slightly larger, and when he went to touch it, he saw that it was the front closure for the bra.

"Now this is a truly wicked piece of underwear, Eimear. It looks so sweet, yet it is really a tease." Keith pretended to scold her as he undid the fastener. She laughed, and then moaned as he cupped one of her breasts, now freed from the black silk. He kissed her deeply, plunging his tongue into her mouth, while his hands caressed her breasts.

Eimear was moving against him, as his hands sent waves of pleasure from her breasts down to her core. She was hot and wet, and it always amazed her how he could get her aroused so fast. She broke off the kiss, and told him that, which brought a look of satisfaction to his face.

"Do you know what we haven't done yet, Eimear?" He asked in a slow, deep voice, and she listened as he whispered in her ear what he was thinking. That was how she found herself naked in the large shower, with Keith. There were jets on the wall, so when the water sprayed, it completely wrapped around your body.

He gently soaped her, taking his time and touching every spot of her skin, his fingers arousing her as he did so. When it was her turn she lathered his body well, paying special attention to his shaft. Eimear laughed delightfully when it hardened and lengthened as she stroked it. He groaned, and then almost growled as she continued to play with his cock. She let the gentle wall of water wash away all the soap, which gave him the chance to collect his thoughts.

Keith almost came though when she knelt in front of him and slowly licked his penis, before taking it in her mouth. He let out a howl, as he felt her lips sucking on the bulb. Eimear heard him, and decided that she must be doing it right, because he went on to moan several times, which excited her even more.

She felt herself being pulled up quickly, and then pushed against the wall of the shower, as he positioned her hips with his groin. Eimear felt his cock thrust inside her, as he moved fast and hard, pinning her to the wall as he did so. There was an animal like intensity to his desire, and it fueled her own hunger. She found herself moving with him, her nails digging into his rear end, as she helped him get deeper inside her.

He was kissing and sucking on her neck and chest, her moans and sequels spurring him on to increase the speed of his thrusting, their wet skins gliding effortlessly against each other. Keith felt her rake her nails on his back as she arched, and then climaxed, her screams echoing around the room. Hearing her like that, and seeing the look on her face was too much for him. He roared loudly as he came with a force that knocked him to the floor, taking her with him.

Eimear and Keith sat in the shower, their arms around each other, as the water sprayed overhead. He was wiped out by the physical force he had displayed in making love to her. Keith looked at her, hoping that he had not shocked her with the amount of lust he had displayed. She had an effect on him that he'd never experienced before.

"Who knew shower sex could be so intense. I love you Keith." Eimear informed him, kissing him on the nose. Keith looked at her, completely wrapped around him, her eyes soft as she caught her breath.

"It is intense because of you, and what you do to me, Eimear." Keith confessed, and liked the pleased smile that spread across her face.

_Castle of Lion, Arus_

It was lunchtime when Keith arrived back at the Castle. He went into the pilot's mess hall and saw everyone about to eat, including Allura. They were all glad to see him, and he realized how much they meant to him. They were all excited about his engagement, especially Lance.

"I hear congratulations are in order, fearless leader! I am very impressed; where is Eimear by the way?" Lance asked, still amazed that Keith had proposed. When Allura had read him the message that Keith had sent, about the engagement, and wedding plans, she'd had to read it twice to him before he believed it.

"She is having lunch with Aiden, and has some work to catch up on. I invited her over later though, so you can extend your best wishes in person." Keith informed Lance. Aiden had wanted Keith to stay for lunch, but he thought that Eimear needed some time with her son alone, and he was sure that there was work to catch up on at the Castle. Paperwork was not Lance's strong suit, as Keith well knew.

"So why the quick wedding?" Lance lobbed the question out there, and Keith sighed. He was wondering if this issue was going to come up, and had an explanation already, involving Aiden. Before he could give it though, someone else spoke up.

"Keith, we are all happy for you and Eimear! I understand it is because of Aiden right?" Allura patted him on the arm, while shooting Lance a 'please behave' look. Lance smiled at her in agreement, while thinking that when he was alone with Keith he would get the dirt. He wasn't going to miss out on the opportunities the occasion offered, for some well deserved teasing.

"Fredericks has the arrangements all worked out, for next week. Sven, Romelle, and Bandor will be able to make the wedding. Fauk and Elena won't be able to though, as they are getting ready for her wedding next month." Allura knew that Keith would be glad to have Sven at the wedding. She herself was relieved that Fauk couldn't make it, thinking back to the conversation she'd had with Romelle after Larmina's wedding.

Keith was glad that Allura had stepped in, and he had also seen the look she gave Lance. He knew that it would stop him for now, but the minute Allura wasn't around Lance would have some comment. The man was his best friend, but he knew how his mind worked all too well. Being with Eimear was worth it though, he thought smiling.

Allura watched Keith, and couldn't believe how happy and relaxed he looked. When she'd received his message about the wedding, a great bubble of joy had welled up inside of her. She was pleased that things had worked with him and Eimear so well. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Keith she thought. Allura and Lance also hoped that having Keith not living 'in their basement' so to speak would help their relationship with him.

Fredericks had initially balked at doing a wedding so quickly, but Allura had turned on what Lance privately referred to as 'bitch with teeth mode' and he had acquiesced to the request. He then, never being able to resist a formal occasion, threw himself into the preparations for the event. Fredericks was sure it would be one of his most memorable events.

Larmina and Pidge had exchanged a couple of looks as Keith was talking, wishing they didn't know what they did. Larmina was glad to hear that Eimear would be coming over this evening, and that her Aunt was going to do a small party for the team. It would put Keith in a good mood, she hoped, before she talked to him.

Larmina prided herself on being a direct, and to the point person, in dealing with matters. For once though she wished she had some of the tact and diplomacy her Aunt could do so effortlessly. She thought now that maybe she should have paid more attention to her Aunt's lectures on the subject. Of course, she reasoned, no amount of tact would render the message any less hateful than what it was though.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Something Lost, Something Gained**_

Larmina stood in front of Keith's door, wishing she had taken Pidge up on the shot of Grey Goose vodka, his favorite, which he had offered her before she came down. She had turned him down because she'd had couple of drinks at the party, and didn't want to get drunk before she talked to Keith. The party had been lots of fun, and she knew that her aunt was glad to see Keith happy.

Fredericks had been in good spirits, especially when Eimear and Keith told him they loved what he had arranged for their wedding. Larmina knew that the elderly count was touched when Eimear told him that she had always wanted a wedding like what he had planned. Everyone admired her engagement ring, and Lance, who was going to be Keith's best man, told a funny story about how Keith almost lost Allura's wedding ring the morning of the ceremony. Keith responded with the story of Lance panicking about Allura's six names, which made everyone laugh.

She thought about those stories, and how happy Keith had been during the party. She was looking forward to comparing notes with her aunt, about his behavior. Larmina looked at the items she was holding, deciding she needed to get on with her task. She had the box, journal, ring, and the childhood book, but not the cigarette case. Pidge was going to talk to Lance tomorrow about that item. She knocked on the door, and heard a voice say come in.

Larmina had never been in Keith's bedroom before, but her first thought was how plain it was. The interior decorator in her itched to redo it, but she quenched the ideas running through her mind. She couldn't imagine living in something so sterile, but then decided that Keith probably only saw it as somewhere to sleep.

"Larmina, what is going on?" Keith asked, after they said hello to each other. He was very puzzled why she was down here in his quarters at this time of night. Keith noticed that she had several items in her hands, including the book that had belong to his mother. For a moment he was upset that Pidge had given it to her, and the remembered his thought that she always meant well with what she did.

"Keith, I'm really not sure where to start with everything. It's long and complicated, and not a very happy story." Larmina laid the items out on the bed, wishing there was somewhere to sit. Keith was in the one chair, and she wasn't comfortable with the idea of sitting on the bed.

He was looking at the items on the bed, not understanding why she had brought them down. The leather bound book was a journal he guessed, and he thought the box was very beautiful. Keith then caught the glittering fox ring, and felt his heart clench as a jolt of pain hit it.

"Larmina, what is all that stuff, and why do you have my book?" Keith tried to stay calm, in spite of his brain going into overload.

"The box and the journal are your mother's Keith, and the ring was given to her by your father. It is very old, and represent's your family's crest." She stated very slowly, and decided she didn't care about sitting on the bed, she just needed to sit. Larmina watched Keith slowly pick up the box, then put it back down. She showed him how to open it, and told him that is where she'd found the journal and the ring.

Keith picked up the journal and flipped through the pages, recognizing the same language that was in the story book. It gave him a weird feeling to know that he was seeing his mother's writing, and he let his fingertips touch one of the pages.

"Where did you find this, and how do you know it is my Mother's?" Keith looked up at Larmina, and was taken aback by how sad she was looking at him. He knew that it didn't bode well, and for one minute he was almost tempted to tell her to take all the stuff and leave. As he thought that he remembered what Black Lion had said, about needing wisdom and humility when it came to his family. Keith was starting to think that his lion had a tendency to understate circumstances.

"I found it in the ruins of the gazebo, at Turtle Point, which I think is yours now." Larmina explained, and went on to tell him the history of the peninsula, and the property. Something clicked in Keith's mind, and he went over to the closet and brought out the box of his parent's things. Opening it up he took out the necklace, and watched Larmina's eyes widen.

"OMG, that is Clouthier and gorgeous! Oh, I read about that necklace in the journal. Your mother's father gave it to her as a birthday present, at a big party he gave for her at Turtle Point. It is where she met your father for the first time." Larmina enthused, as she reached out for the necklace. Keith passed it to her, while trying to take in everything she was telling him.

"Larmina, I will ask again, how do you know all this?" Keith felt like his brain was spinning around, while his heart was constricting tighter and tighter.

"I read the journal, everything is in there. Listen I have a favor to ask, about the necklace Keith. There is going to be a big exhibit at the art museum." Larmina went on to explain, being sidetracked from what she had come down to talk to Keith about.

"Larmina, I've already promised Dr. Reinhardt he can have it." Keith told her, and she was happy, until she looked at his face. She sighed, realizing that she wasn't accomplishing what she needed to.

"Keith, Pidge, and I found the items, and he worked out a program for the language. Once he did that, I translated the journal, but everything is referenced with initials so at first I didn't know who anyone was. Then Pidge found the book you left for him, in a pile on his desk. He recognized the language right away, and we put the pieces together." Larmina outlined the events for him, and waited for him to say something.

"Do you have a translated copy of the journal for me to read?" Keith asked very slowly, almost hoping the answer would be no. He was disappointed when she took a memory disc out of her pocket and passed it to him. He didn't take it from her, but just stared at it, thinking about the few things he had learned so far about his parents' relationship.

"I want you to be honest with me Larmina, and tell me now please, is it bad?" Keith hoped that she would be as direct as she usually was, and not dress it up like Allura would. He wished Eimear was here, to help him out.

"Keith, it is bad, and I almost wish you didn't have to know about it. Try to remember at the end of the day, your mother did the right thing, and your father loved her very much." Larmina didn't see any reason to lie to him, knowing it would do no good anyway.

"There is something else that belonged to your father, but I don't have it, Lance does. He bought it in an antique store in Frauxin, and doesn't know the story of it. There is an inscription inside, from your mother to your father, and a map of Helgidorre with Turtle Point marked on it." Larmina knew that Keith would want to read the inscription.

"It is a cigarette case. I didn't know it belonged to my father, but did get a glance at it once and saw my family crest." He didn't want to go into where he'd seen it, or what Allura's reaction had been. However, now that he knew the province of the piece, he was going to talk to Lance about it.

"Pidge is going to talk to Lance tomorrow, and tell him just the story of the case, nothing else. I'm sure that Lance will return it to you Keith." Larmina added, and Keith was suddenly glad that he wasn't going to have to confront Lance, and indirectly Allura, about it. He pondered though why Larmina had said that Pidge was only going to tell Lance about the case, and nothing else. He realized that it meant Pidge knew the whole story, and it must be really bad.

"Larmina, would you tell me the condensed version, so I can be prepared for what I'm going to read?" Keith thought that maybe that would make it easier to deal with. He looked at the red haired young woman as he asked, never having thought that she would be the one who would help him find his family's history out.

"As long as you promise not to kill the messenger." Larmina tried to make a joke, but failed, and decided to get on with the story.

"Keith, your mother was from a planet called Odzaci, in the now gone Nis Pirot system. It was populated by humanoids, but was allied with the Drule Empire. The language, government, and economy were all modeled on Planet Doom. The systems were close geographically, which was the basis for the alliance." Larmina stopped there, and let Keith absorb that information.

"Your mother's father was sent to Arus, by King Zarkon's father, to infiltrate and then destroy Arus. He was going to do this by destabilizing the economy, which would undermine the influence of the royal house. When that was done, the Drules were going to attack, but make it look like the citizens of the planet had done it themselves." Larmina knew what she was telling him was damning enough, but there was worse to come.

"I don't understand how was one person going to do all that?" Keith asked, not wanting to think about his grandfather being a Drule agent.

"Your grandfather came to Arus as a very successful business man, looking to invest in our industry. He used his money to get himself, and his daughter, accepted into the highest society. They then gathered information about defense systems, banking procedures, and industrial output. It was all sent back to Planet Doom." Larmina took a breath, and waited for Keith to understand the implication of what she had just said.

"You said 'they' gathered information; are you telling me my mother was a spy also?" Keith could hardly get the words out of his mouth, they tasted so bad.

"Keith, yes, until she met your father and fell in love. The way she met him was because his father was on the Defense Council, and privy to secret information. Originally she was supposed to get to know your father, to get to his father. Her father used her for that purpose a lot, because she was very beautiful." Larmina couldn't imagine finding out that your mother was a spy for an enemy you spent three years fighting.

She was wondering if Keith kept anything alcoholic down here, and looked in the closet. She saw a bottle that she thought was some kind of scotch. Larmina walked over to the closet, and getting it down she also saw a glass. She poured a generous amount into the glass, and handed it to him. Keith looked surprised for a moment, and then took the glass gratefully. It came to him that if he had to have anyone tell him this story, he was glad that it was Larmina, with her no nonsense ways.

"Your parents fell in love, but both fathers were against the match. I guess your mother's father had not been as careful as he thought, or he'd been really arrogant, but a lot of people didn't like him, including your father's father. Your mother's father didn't think your father's title was good enough. Did you know you have a title?" Larmina inquired, and Keith nodded his head.

"So what happened finally?" Keith finished the scotch, and held out the glass for more. Larmina obliged before she went on with the story.

"Your parents met secretly, and then your mother found out that she was pregnant. They decided they needed to run away, and chose earth. However, your father's father found out about the plan, and also that the girl and her father were spies for Doom. Even back then relations were not good with the Drules. He was going to turn the girl and her father in, not caring that she was pregnant with his grandchild, you." Larmina's voice was sad, feeling bad for Keith's mother.

"There is more Keith; you need to hear this too. Before your parents left, they went to confront your mother's father about his activities. They wanted him to stop what he was doing and leave the planet right away. He refused to, and threatened to kill your mother. That caused a fight, and in the scuffle your father killed the man. In order to help them get away, your father faked his death in a boating accident. Please remember that what your father and mother did saved Arus, Keith." Larmina sighed, suddenly very tired.

Keith, if he wasn't so upset about what he'd just learned, would have chuckled at how Larmina only saw the threat to Arus and nothing else. As he had that thought, he looked at her again, and realized that she did see the bigger implication of the story. Both of his grandfather's had been willing to turn their back on his mother, for different reasons.

As he thought about his mother young and pregnant, he saw Eimear, telling him her story about how her mother-in-law had acted towards her. His mother and Eimear had both been eighteen and pregnant, with very little support being offered to them. At least his mother had been lucky enough to have his father to stand by her. Keith saw that he had two paths in front of him, in dealing with this information. However, he had Eimear, and their love to support each other.

Black's comment about wisdom and humility came to him, and he understood that you can only control so much. It wasn't the destination, it was the journey, and it wasn't just the journey but the people you meet along the way. As he looked back at his life, he saw why his friends had all come into his life, and how they had stood by him, even if he had not always been good to them.

Lance and Allura came to mind, and he remembered that he still needed to tell them that he was happy for them. Keith thought back to over five years ago, when he decided to turn his back on Wade and hunt Black by himself. He had not told Allura the whole story at the time, and knew that he had left Lance to pick up the pieces.

Keith still remembered how angry he had been at both of them, when Lance had taken Allura out for dinner and dancing, with the press corps in tow. He suddenly saw that he had never forgiven Lance for what he had done, and how happy Allura had looked, being out with Lance. Keith knew now that there was already a bond between them, even if none of them had realized it at the time. The words wisdom and humility came to his mind, and he saw that he had been lacking in both before all this.

Keith decided then and there that he could be angry and vengeful about the information that Larmina had given him, or he could honor what his parents had one, to protect Arus. His mother had been pregnant, and his father had loved her enough to defy his father, and turn his back on the life he would have had, if he had stayed on Arus, without his mother.

He looked at Larmina, looking at him so worried, and wanted to reassure her about everything. He wasn't angry about his family, just glad that he knew the whole story. As he thought about it, he saw the same little girl with his hair, and Eimear's eyes that he'd seen after their first night in Yellowstone. Keith also saw Aiden telling him that he was going to pilot Black Lion one day, and all of a sudden felt very humble at what he was being offered.

"Larmina, thank you for all that you've done, and what you've told me. I appreciate how you and Pidge have handled everything. I still remember what I told you when I first met you, in that street fight 'I admire your moves'." Keith told the young woman, who smiled in relief at him. He offered her some scotch, and she took it gladly.

"So what are you going to do?" Larmina asked, as she stood up to leave. It had gone better than she'd thought, with Keith being surprisingly calm about everything.

"I'm going to read the journal, and tell Eimear the story. I would prefer that we were the only ones who knew all the details though. When people ask I will say that my parents left Arus because the families did not approve of the match, and leave it at that." Keith replied slowly, deciding that there was no reason to tell anything else, adding "I trust that you and Pidge will go along with that, please?"

Larmina assured him, and left. Keith spent the next couple of hours reading the journal, and dealing with what was in there. Once he could deal with what his mother had been doing, it was interesting to get acquainted with his parents. It gave him a lot of insight into his own personality, and he was looking forward to sharing it with Eimear. When he did get to bed, he thought about what his life was going to be like from now on, before he fell into a restful sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

_**KathDMD: Thank you for your kind words. Yes, Keith has come far in his journey.**_

_**A Gift Repaid**_

It was the next morning, after flight drills, and the pilots were finishing up breakfast. Pidge and Larmina exchanged looks as everyone started to rise from the table. She had told Pidge all about her meeting with Keith, and how well he had handled it. Pidge had been glad to hear it, because he had been concerned about how the news would be received.

Pidge hung back a bit, while the table cleared, to see where Lance was headed. He knew that Lance normally went to go see Allura, but she was at a meeting in town this morning. Watching Lance walk out of the room, he followed him as he realized he was heading upstairs anyway. Pidge waited until Lance was in front of the elevator, to catch up with him.

"Hey Lance, do you have a couple of minutes? I need to talk privately with you about something?" Pidge inquired, and Lance nodded his head as he took a sip of coffee from his mug.

"Sure, I was just heading upstairs to have a cigarette, so come on." Lance responded to Pidge, wondering what he needed to talk about. He knew that Pidge didn't care if he smoked, so he invited him along. If it had been Keith, he knew it would be a different story, and he would have had to have abandoned his plans. Pidge for his part was now glad that he had caught Lance when he had, as it would make bringing up the case so much easier.

Several hours later Lance and Allie were finishing up lunch, and enjoying the sunshine on the dining room balcony. She had been pleased when she returned from her meeting to find out that Lance had set up lunch for just them. After the party last night they had laughed about how quickly Keith and Eimear were getting married, and what Lance was going to say to Keith privately.

Allie had no issue with Lance giving Keith a hard time in private, but didn't think Eimear would appreciate the team making comments about how quick the wedding was. She reminded Lance about their experience, which was still going on. The press had been sure that she was pregnant when she and Lance had married, and four months later wouldn't drop the subject.

Everyday there was a new article announcing that she was pregnant, she had been pregnant and miscarried, or that she couldn't get pregnant for any number of reasons, including being too thin. Lance knew Allie was getting tired of having everything she ate, and drank, scrutinized.

Two weeks ago she'd been at a formal dinner, and had not drunk any of the wine that was served with the meal. Allie had woken up to every news service in the galaxy announcing that she was pregnant, they knew, because she drank water with the meal instead. The reason was that she had a cold, and having taken some medicine for it, she didn't want the alcohol in her system too.

"Pidge talked to me about my cigarette case this morning; it seems he translated the inscription." Lance told Allie, as he lit his cigarette after lunch. She passed the ashtray closer to him, and then picked up the case.

"Well, what does it say? And what is the map of?" Allie asked, as she opened the case to look at the engraving. She heard Lance start to laugh with satisfaction, and she glanced up at him.

"You will never believe who the case belonged to, Darling." Lance thought it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard, and was looking forward to the talk he was going to have later with Keith. Allie couldn't help smiling, liking the sound of Lance's laughter. She didn't know what he was laughing about, but was sure it was good.

"The case belonged to Keith's father! The fox is the main element in his family's crest, and the inscription is about some placed called Turtle Point, that his parents conducted their secret affair at." Lance informed her, as he took a drag on his cigarette. Allie looked at him opened mouth, trying to process it all.

"Does he know? Oh, Turtle Point!" Allie was aghast, as she remembered the story of the Turtle Point property. She went to Helgidorre at least once a year, and was looking forward to taking Lance there to see it.

"I guess Pidge and Larmina pieced it together, with a diary that Larmina found while they were on their honeymoon. She told Keith the story last night. What is so special about Turtle Point?" Lance tapped his cigarette in the ash tray as he asked, noticing the angry look Allie had on her face.

"It is the best piece of property on Helgidorre, and it was supposed to belong to the royal family. However, this rich foreigner; wait a minute, that makes him Keith's grandfather. Anyway, the guy offered way more than the property was worth, and my grandfather wouldn't get into a bidding war with him. That is why our property is the next parcel down." Allie explained, and went on to tell Lance the story of the daughter who left town.

"Ok, so the girl was Keith's mother, having an affair her family didn't approve of, with Keith's father. Wow, I wonder how he felt finding all that out, about his parents?" Lance couldn't imagine his upright friend taking that news too well, and told her that.

"Lance, I bet he is just glad to know about his parents after all this time. It is rather romantic, in a sad way, with how they ran away because of their families." Allie shook her head, and added "I wonder what Keith will do with the property? It is a lovely spot, and I used to sketch houses to build there."

He heard what she was saying, and an idea came to mind. He thought about it for a minute, as he took another drag of his cigarette. That made him look down at the case, with the fox on it.

"Allie, I have to give Keith this case, since it belonged to his father." Lance sighed as he exhaled a stream of smoke. She looked at him, and looked at the case, before a smile came on her face.

"Stay here and finish your cigarette, Lance. I'll be right back." She announced as she jumped up and left the balcony. While she was gone he gave some more thought to the idea that he'd come up with, while he took a last puff of his cigarette. He was pretty sure that it would be well received.

"I want to give this to you Lance, because you should have it." Allie was back, and she stood in front of Lance holding something out. He took it, and recognized the item right away. The case was dark blue enamel, in a gold frame, with a gold lion holding aloft the arms of the royal house. The inlay of the gold, and other colors, along with some tiny jeweled accents made it a lovely piece.

"Sugar, this is your father's cigarette case; are you sure?" Lance opened it up, and saw her name engraved in her childish handwriting, along with those of her now dead brothers. He was honored that she wanted him to have it.

"Absolutely, Darling! It is too beautiful to be kept in a drawer, and I think it is appropriate for the prince consort to have a case with the arms of the royal house." She told him lovingly, thinking of everything that Lance had done for her. "My father would approve; he does like you." Allied added with a giggle, as she put her arms around Lance's neck.

She found herself sitting in his lap, being held very tightly as he started kissing her lightly. The kiss soon deepened, and at the back of his mind Lance decided that talking to Keith could wait a little while. He picked up Allie, and carried her into their bedroom, locking the door behind them.

It was later in the afternoon, and Lance was heading down to Keith's office, to give him the case. He and Allie had spent most of the afternoon in the bedroom, making love several times. Now, he had a smile on his face as he thought about her on top of him, in the chaise lounge. She was amazing, and he still pinched himself, sometimes, to make sure that it was all real.

"How does it feel to know that your parents were the Arusian version of Romeo and Juliet? By the way, I think my Mom might want to make them the subject of her next book. She does historical romance better than anyone else, you know. Nine bestsellers back that up." Lance walked into Keith's office without knocking, which caused him to look up in annoyance.

"Is there a reason why you can't knock? What if I'd been doing something private in here? And no, your mother may not use my parents for one of her books!" Keith stated, thinking the real story was so much more than anything Claire McClain could come up with. He knew Lance had never knocked before, and why should he start now. He was in fact curious as to how Lance was going to bring up the cigarette case to him.

"Well, I would expect you to lock the door then. However, I have a hard time imaging you getting up to anything in your office. Have you thought about adding some color to this place?" Lance sat down in the chair, and tilted it back as he stretched out his legs, getting comfortable.

"Lance, it is an office, not a bedroom." Keith huffed, and then regretted his choice of words.

"Buddy boy, I've seen your bedroom, and it is equally bad! Of course now that you will be with Eimear it won't matter. I bet her bedroom has a lot of color in it? Or have you had time to notice?" Lance teased with pleasure, liking how he was making Keith squirm.

"That is really none of your business, Lance. I don't remember inquiring about your bedroom." Keith hoped that his comment would shut his friend up, but it only caused him to change tactics.

"Piece of advice to you, since you are moving into Eimear's house, you should at least get the bedroom redone. That way, it will feel more like your and her room, and not just her room. Allie had Larmina redo our room upstairs, and gave me a lot of input into the design." Lance offered that piece of advice, and Keith looked him with interest.

The conversation he'd overheard came back to him, and he remembered Allura's remark about 'poor Lance having to move into the fishbowl'. Keith understood now what the comment had meant, and how she wanted him to be happy. He also saw that Lance was offering him good advice, having been in the situation that Keith was going to be in. That made him remember what he'd been thinking about last night.

"Thank you for suggesting that Lance, I appreciate it. Listen, I need to say something to you and to Allura also, but I will talk to her later. When you two became engaged I told you that I couldn't be happy for you, because at that point I couldn't. Now though, I see how much you two mean to each other, and always have. You two stood by each other while I left you holding the bag, so to speak, with Wade." Keith started his speech, and he saw Lance get a surprised expression on his face.

"I was angry with you, Lance, for taking Allura out as soon as I was gone, and for the relationship you had with her. I understand now though it had really had nothing to do with me, and that you two belong together. I can honestly say that I am very happy for you, and will be telling her that also." Keith finished up with what he had to say, feeling like a dam had been opened.

"Keith, thank you for saying that. Just for the record, the main reason I took Allie out that night, is because she was afraid of what all the newsfeeds were going to say, about you leaving her. Please remember there had been a lot of speculation about your relationship with her, around that time. It also helped me with Wade, because he thought I was glad to see you go, so I could move in on your 'girl' so to speak." Lance smiled at his friend, glad to finally clear the air about everything.

"Lance, I can see that, but you and I know that there was more there too. You loved her even then, and she didn't know it, but she loved you also. I still remember how happy she looked being with you, in those pictures. You were a good friend to me while I was gone, and waited when I returned, before you declared your interest. I would never have been able to hunt Black if it wasn't for you, and I've never really said thank you, until now." Keith felt very blessed that he had been given all the second chances he had.

"Allie will be very glad to hear you say that Keith." Lance replied thinking about saying more, but deciding that was Allie's call to make. He remembered the reason he'd come down to the office originally, and took the case out of his side pocket. Lance put it on Keith's desk, and pushed it across to him.

"That was a gift to your father, from your mother Keith. It was made by a very well known jeweler, Jean Piel Clouthier. There is an inscription inside; I guess Larmina already gave you a translated copy of it." Lance informed Keith, who was busy staring at the case.

For Keith, finally getting a close up of the case was almost anticlimactic. He had been so sure that it was the key to his family history, but really, it was nothing more than a small part of it. He opened it up to see the inside, noticing the inscription and little lap. He also caught the whiff of tobacco, and remembered that Lance had been using this case.

"Thank you for giving this to me, Lance. Can I reimburse you for it?" Keith was touched with his friend's gesture, and felt bad that he had to give up the case.

"Don't worry about it, Keith. I don't need it, because Allie gave me her father's case as a replacement. It was also made by Clouthier." Lance took the dark blue case from his inside jacket pocket, for Keith to admire. He looked at, and admired the case. As he thought about what Lance had just said, it came to that Allura didn't mind Lance smoking, because her father had smoked too.

Keith had not known that, but there had been no reason for him to know; it was none of his affair. He thought about wisdom and humility, and saw that part of that was knowing when to mind your own business. Eimear had told him that a while ago, but he hadn't heard what she was really saying.

"Lance, I need to apologize for something else too. I'm sorry I nagged you about smoking, because it is none of my business. I should have realized that, and not been a pain like I was." Keith offered up to Lance, amazed that his friend had stayed his friend in spite of everything he'd put him through.

"Ok, are you feeling all right? Fearless leader, apologizing? And saying thank you? Did getting laid accomplish all this?" Lance asked in shock, looking at Keith like he had three heads. Keith laughed, as he realized that friendship worked both ways, and who else but him was going to put up with Lance making comments like that.

"Keith, did Larmina tell you about Turtle Point, your family property?" Lance decided to change the subject, but still happy that he and Keith had finally talked about everything.

"Yes, she did but I don't know what I'm going to do with it, quite frankly. It doesn't have happy memories for my family. Why are you asking?" Keith replied, thinking about the fact that Drule money had originally purchased the property, and that his father had killed his grandfather there. As he listened to what Lance had to say, a smile spread across Keith's face.

It was two days before Keith could talk to Allura, just because he wanted to do it without Lance hanging around. Keith had not heard Pidge's comment 'Allura was Queen of Arus, but Lance was King of the castle' but he would have agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment. He still remembered how Lance had cut into his last official appointment with Allura, and knew that it could happen again. Rigsby had already shown that his loyalty was to Allura and Lance, because he was Allura's husband.

Keith now understood what Lance had done, and why he had done it, but that didn't mean he had to like it or go along with it. He was the commander of Voltron force, and he knew that counted for a great deal with Arus. He had the right to speak to the Queen, whether her husband liked it or not. He had made amends with Lance, and his friend should understand that he needed the time with Allura.

However, he also understood how Lance viewed him, thinking about the torch that Allura had carried for him. Keith could now acknowledge that he had let Allura keep that torch alive, because he had enjoyed Allura looking at him with adoring eyes. It fed his need to rescue her, but kept them prisoner to a fantasy that make them both unhappy.

He sent Lance off to a day of GA staff meetings, with the excuse of conferences at Aiden's school. Keith knew though that the conferences were not scheduled until later in the afternoon, but was sure that Lance would not verify it. He formally contacted Rigsby to schedule an appointment with Allura, to discuss flight drill schedules, being careful to specify the day Lance would be at the GA meetings.

Keith walked into Allura's office, after greeting Rigsby, at the appointed time. She greeted him happily, and he saw that she was wearing a navy blue suit, and cream colored blouse. It reminded him of how she had shown up in his tiny office, at GA headquarters all those years ago, to order him to escort her to Wade's big party. It was to celebrate the 'New Order' of things, and she had been worried about what Wade could do to Arus. She had been young, but even then she'd known what her priorities were, and had not understood why he couldn't see it.

Keith thought about his meeting with Lance, the day after that encounter with Allura at his office, in the seedy bar, and how annoyed Lance had been with him. He saw now that his friend had been annoyed with him for the same reason that Allura had been annoyed with him – they had the same priorities and outlook, but it wasn't his priority and outlook. He wished now that he had known then, what he knew now; it had been so unfair to them both.

"Are you going to change the drill schedules Keith? I know that everything has been hard with all the weddings, and trips, but don't you think things will settle down now?" Allura inquired, after she had greeted him and offered him coffee.

"I am not here to talk drill schedules, Allura. I wanted the chance to talk privately to you." Keith disclosed to her, and then watched as she put her queen face on, as they all called it. It recalled even more vividly the meeting they had, all those years ago, in the tiny GA office.

"Five months ago, when you told that you were going to marry Lance, I had my angry outburst at you. It scared you, because you had never seen that side of me before, I know." Keith paused, and noticed that she was looking at him very intently, but still wearing her mask.

"Yes, Keith it did scare me, and quite frankly I've never regarded you the same way since." Allura imparted that fact in a cool tone, thinking back to the fury she'd seen in him.

"If you remember I also said that I could not be happy for you two." Keith stated, and for just a moment he thought he might have seen a flash of hurt in her eyes. However, the mask was perfect before he could catch it again.

Keith observed the woman across from him, poised and in control, and knew how she had become the person she was. The side of her that she'd shown him that long ago day was what he had not wanted to see. Lance though had seen that side of her, and not only understood it, but admired it to. He had never wanted to rescue her, because he had always known she would rescue herself.

"Allura, I was incapable of being happy for anyone, because of my anger inside it. It wasn't just about my parents and the way they died, but it was also at you and Lance. When I saw all those newsfeeds of the two of you out on your date, after I had left, I was furious that he would take up with you so quickly." Keith heard Allura try to interrupt him, as he watched the queen face disappear, but he held up his hand.

"I understand now why you did it, and I also know that I put both of you, along with the rest of the team in a very bad position by what I did, by running away. Just be aware that I would make the same decision again, but I would handle my interactions with all of you differently. I have already apologized to Lance, and want to apologize to you, as well as Hunk and Pidge." Keith proclaimed, and waited for her response.

"Keith, I admire you for what you just said, it means a great deal to me." Allura responded, glad to see that he could finally understand the fallout from his actions.

"I also need to apologize for letting you carry a torch for me, for all those years. I knew what your feelings were, and I liked the idea of you regarding me as your 'Knight in Shining Armor'. It was unfair to you, to me, and to Lance. You two belong together, and I am very happy for both of you. So much of my anger, I think, was because on an unconscious level I knew you had a bond with Lance that you would never have with me." Keith felt very drained, but very calm too as he said those words.

"Did finding out about your parents make you realize all this?" Allura asked, amazed at what Keith had just confessed to, and apologized for. Lance had told her about his conversation with Keith, which had shocked her at the time. Allura hadn't thought Keith would be able to have that same level of conversation with her.

"It was part of it, but so was my relationship with Eimear. From the first time I met her, I was more honest with her, than I'd ever been with you. It is like looking at a copy of something, but you don't know that it is a copy until you've seen the real thing. It makes you wonder how you could have thought the copy was real." Keith explained, not going to go into the whole story of his parents, and what it had taught him.

"Can we be friends, Keith? Not like it was before, but real friends? I would like you in my life, and I would like to be able to consult you on government matters." Allura asked with a hopeful note in her voice. She was pleased when she heard Keith laugh.

"Considering that you are letting me get married in your backyard I think we should be friends. Also, thank you for extending your friendship to Eimear, too. It has made her very happy." Keith told her with delight.

"Well I like her as a person, and have great empathy for her, being a woman with power on Arus. As far as the wedding, you two need to do something very nice for Fredericks!" Allura laughed, and they spent the next half hour talking about the wedding. Keith left her office with a good feeling, and a clean heart.


	35. Chapter 35

_**Author's Note: This is the final chapter for 'A Knight's Journey'. I do not have a sequel planned, but am working on 'The Peril's of Pollux' which will intertwine with this story, and then go forward. That story will be focused on Sven and Romelle, but we will see a lot of our friends from Arus in it. The story will also deal with the haggerium infection that Sven and Daniel have. Please look for it around the beginning of November.**_

_**Eimear's wedding dress is from Elie Saab 2011/2012 wedding collection. The dress was shown in white, but I redid it in a different color. The dress can be seen on the 'Wedding Inspirasi' website, in Elie Saab's section. Larmina's dress is Pippa Middleton's bridesmaid dress, but in a different color.**_

_**Thank to all you have been reading, and an extra thank you to my reviewers, especially KathDMD, Mer3Girl, and Lance4Ever.**_

_**Wedding**_

"Keith, you aren't nervous enough to be a groom! Of course now that you are a Baron and all, it makes it different, right?" Lance joked with Keith, as they stood in Keith's quarters. Hunk and Pidge were there also, while Daniel and Vince were acting as ushers in the garden. They were all in their dress uniforms, waiting with Keith before his wedding. Keith had decided to accept his family's title, much to Lance's amusement.

"I don't feel nervous, Lance, just very happy. You do have the ring right?" Keith smiled as he questioned Lance. He watched his friend take the gold band out of his pocket, and show it to everyone.

"Rather plain for my taste, but you did do the engagement ring right, I will say." Lance commented, before turning to Hunk "So have you gone ring shopping yet? I've heard rumors that there could be a wedding at the Malden's ducal estate, early next year?"

"No comment Lance, yet." Hunk informed him, but looked very happy as he thought about Sissi. He already had a miniature of his New West Point ring for her, but was waiting until after the Olympics were over with to propose. There was some good natured teasing of Hunk about the issue.

"It is nice that we all are together, and that Sven could make it to." Hunk observed, to change the subject away from his love life, as he added "Where is he? I noticed that he wasn't down in the pilot's quarters this time?"

"He is upstairs in one of the guest quarters on the second floor, down the hall from Romelle and Bandor's rooms. Nanny is also in the guest wing, with Erik." Lance replied, getting a tight look on his face. He and Allie had talked about where to put the Pollux party, remembering what had happened after Pidge's wedding.

Lance was adamant that Sven was not going to sit in the small bedroom feeling sorry for himself. Allie, for her part was equally firm that Nanny was not going to be on the family floor, even if Romelle was her cousin. The matter was resolved when Bandor called to talk privately to Lance and Allura, about the situation with his sister and her husband. They were now all housed in very nice guest rooms, with Bandor having one of the state guest rooms, because of his rank. According to Allie, only Bandor was happy with the arrangement.

"We will see him at the ceremony, because he is going to escort Romelle. I sent Firth to make sure he was set to go." Keith informed them, glad that Lance had put his foot down about where Sven was going to stay. That brought forth memories of Lance's wedding, and Hunk had them all laughing about how nervous Pidge had been at his too.

In the second floor guest wing, in a nice sized bedroom finely decorated in browns, beiges, and golds Sven was putting up with Firth helping with his uniform. He looked around the room, with its tasteful, comfortable furniture and sunlight coming through the windows and sighed. The room was too fancy, and the bed too big and plush for his taste. However, he had been given no choice in the matter, which he thought was the story of his life right now.

Bandor was in the state guest room, formally decorated with lots of gold trimmed blue fabric, along with gilt furniture. He was pleased with his accommodation, thinking that it was an appropriate room for the King of Pollux. He wished Elena was already his queen, and she could have been with him, which would have made it perfect.

Fauk though had explained that with her wedding less than six weeks away, Elena needed to stay on Odeos. Bandor had understood Fauk's explanation, and had also appreciated his help in the matter of Sven. He had not been happy with the rumors that started to circulate, about Romelle's marriage, after their last two visits to Arus.

Bandor had been delighted to see Sven and Romelle together, at the after party for Pidge's wedding. They had sat with Lance, Allura, and Fauk; Bandor had noticed that Sven had taken part in the conversation. When he talked to Fauk about Elena, the subject of Sven had come up.

It was Fauk who insisted that Sven should stay in a decent room while on Arus, and insisted that the man come to Odeos for the wedding too. He thought it would help Sven and Romelle with their issues if they spent time together away from Pollux. Bandor was glad that Fauk was as concerned about Romelle's marriage as he was. He had also found out, when he called Arus a week before the wedding, that Allura and Lance were concerned too. They had been very helpful with the room arrangements.

Romelle for her part was in her room, which adjoined Erik's room, where Nanny was also staying. She was giving herself a pep talk, to get ready to deal with Sven. Her stomach was in knots already, and she wasn't even around him yet. Romelle wished her husband wasn't always so cross and moody all the time.

Not having Fauk around to help was hard, but she was counting down the days until Elena's wedding. Bandor had asked her to be patient until he returned from his honeymoon, and then he promised he would deal with Sven. Romelle had already seen, from Erik's behavior, that the baby knew when his mother was upset. The cause of her being upset was always the same, and Romelle had decided that life was too short to walk on eggshells all the time.

On the third floor Allura and Larmina were with Eimear, while she was getting dressed. Allura was finding the experience very interesting, as she looked at the woman that Keith was going to marry. She thought what Keith had told her about the woman, that he'd been more honest with Eimear from the start, than he'd ever been with here.

Allura reasoned though that Keith had never had the illusions about Eimear that he'd looked at her with. She had been too young when they first met to understand what was going on, and by the time she figured it out they were too locked into those roles. It had taken her to break the chain, and release both of them; she was glad that she'd found the courage to do so.

She looked at Eimear now, knowing that she was the right person for Keith. Allura admired the dress the woman wore, even if it didn't look like a traditional wedding dress. It was ice blue lace embroidered with pearls, a velvet belt, and brooch at the waist. The dress had a boat neck, long sleeves, and a flowing skirt that had a slit in the front. The effect was modest, but sensual at the time, making Allura think that Eimear was not as cold as she projected.

Larmina had been allowed to pick her own dress out, and she had opted for a slightly darker shade of blue in a heavy satin. The cowl neck and short sleeves were trimmed with lace, while the back was ornamented only by a row of tiny buttons. The dress fit tight over her figure, with a slight flare to the skirt below the knees. In Allura's opinion it was too plain, but had to admit that her niece looked incredible in it.

"I think it is time I get downstairs, so let me hug you Eimear. You are a beautiful bride, and Keith is very lucky." Allura told her wholeheartedly; as she gave the woman she was becoming friends with a hug. She then turned to her niece, and hugged her also before she left the room. Pidge was waiting for her downstairs, by the door that led out to the rose garden colonnade. Since their respective spouses were in the wedding party, he was escorting her.

"Good morning Allura, you look lovely." Pidge greeted her, as she came into the waiting room. Knowing that Eimear would be wearing blue, Allura had taken that into account when she picked out her clothes. She was wearing a short sleeve dress in peach chiffon, with a tiered skirt on it, along with a jacket in the same fabric. The collar of the jacket was layered to resemble the tiers in the skirt, that and the cut of the outfit being it's only ornamentation. Her hair put up and decorated with pearl pins that echoed her double strand necklace and earrings.

"I am trying to look as simple as possible, Pidge. Eimear is the star of the show today." She told him happily, but glad that he liked the outfit. Lance had made the comment that it showed off her figure beautifully. He had then explained in great detail how he would take the outfit off of her later, to see her body. She smiled now as she thought of what he'd said.

"Larmina looks wonderful Pidge; have you seen her?" Allura remembered how the blue satin had clung to her niece's figure. Pidge, and every other man would notice it, she was sure.

"No, Allura, she wouldn't let me see it until the wedding." Pidge stopped, not wanting to tell Allura the other comments Larmina had made, about what she was going to have him do that evening. He decided to change the subject.

"Thank you for accepting my offer for the house at Helgidorre, Allura. Larmina almost cried when I told her that I'd bought it for her." Pidge remarked, thinking about how happy his wife had been.

"Well, since Lance bought Turtle Point from Keith, we are going to build there. My brother, Larmina's father, loved the summer palace, and I know she spent many happy hours there with him. I thought it fitting that she should have it. It was very generous of you to offer to buy it, Pidge." Allura smiled at the young man, knowing how much he loved Larmina. When she thought about how she acted, all those months ago, it still caused shame in her.

"Cousin Allura, you look beautiful!" Bandor, along with Sven and Romelle had just come into the room. Protocol dictated that Bandor, as a reigning king, would be the last guest seated before Allura came down the aisle. She knew that Bandor's presence meant the wedding was ready to start. She looked at Romelle and her husband, perfectly dressed, but standing too far apart. Sven did not look as thin, so she hoped the treatments were working.

"Romelle, what a pretty outfit! It is great on you." Allura told her cousin as she admired the mint green outfit, trimmed with blueish-green ruching. Sven glanced at his wife again, silently agreeing with Allura. He had noticed the outfit when he'd met up with her in the hall, but had not had the chance to say anything.

"Allura is right Romelle, you look wonderful." Sven told her, which caused her to regard him with surprise, while Bandor smiled. They all chatted for several more minutes until Fredericks arrived, and said that it was time to get going. Sven held out his arm to Romelle, and for a split second she was tempted not to take it, but she saw Bandor looking at her with pleading eyes. She smiled at her brother, and took Sven's arm, so they could walk down together.

"Well at least things will appear better between them. Thank you Allura, for your help with the situation." Bandor commented after the couple had left. Pidge gave Bandor a sympathetic glance, before Fredericks had Bandor head into the garden.

"Pidge, I guess it is our turn now." Allura remarked, as Fredericks gave them the signal. Pidge took her arm, and they walked outside, into the bright sunshine that was reflected off the white colonnade. The roses were at their peak, the splashes of color vibrant against the green lawn, and white building. Allura and Pidge went down the aisle, everyone bowing as they did so.

They arrived at the front row of chairs, right next to the gazebo overlooking the lake. The structure was decorated in white flowers and ribbons which fluttered in the slight breeze. The rows of chairs lined the inside of the colonnade, leading up to the gazebo. The wedding party would stand inside the building to say the vows.

Keith and Lance were together in a different room, waiting for the signal to come out. He looked over at Lance, and thought about everything they'd been through together. He also thought about what he had learned about himself these last couple of months, including the true meaning of friendship.

"Lance, I hope you realize that if it wasn't for you, none of this would be happening? You wouldn't be with Allura, and I would never have met Eimear, or found out about my family. You standing up to Allura that day, outside of sick bay took a lot of guts." Keith told his friend, thinking about what that act had set in motion.

"If that is the case, you really need to thank Pidge! If he hadn't fallen in love with Larmina, I wouldn't have had to tell Allie what a bitch she was being. So really, I think the great genius is responsible!" Lance reasoned with a smile, as he pointed out "Don't you remember, all those years ago, when we first set out to find Voltron, I warned you that he was trouble!" That remark had them both laughing, and then Lance gave Keith a big hug. Just then the priest came in, followed by Fredericks who went over the order for the ceremony.

Allura heard some music start to play, and then watched as Keith, and Lance, with the priest in front of them came into the gazebo from the side. Lance looked so handsome, she thought, as he caught her eye and winked at her. She wished he was sitting next to her, but understood that Keith had needed him today.

As the music changed there was a rustle at the back, and Larmina started walking down the aisle. Pidge looked at the form fitting satin dress, showing off her curves perfectly, and sighed. He started counting how long until he could get her alone so he could do all the things she had told him she wanted him to do.

Keith, up in the gazebo saw Larmina and smiled fondly, thinking of everything the young woman had done for him. If not for her meddling he wouldn't know the story of his parents, and her concern about his relationship with Eimear had helped move it forward. Keith had been pleased when Eimear had suggested having Larmina as her attendant. He suddenly heard the music change again, and knew that it meant his bride was coming down the aisle.

Eimear was escorted by Aiden, trying to look very grown up in his dress uniform from the military prep school. Keith smiled at the young man, and then saw Eimear, who took his breath away. The ice blue lace clung to her body perfectly, highlighting her pale blonde hair and grey-blue eyes. As she walked he noticed the slit that showed off her great legs.

Aiden escorted her up the stairs, bowed to Keith and then gave his mother's hand to her groom. Keith could only see Eimear, and he felt like they were the only two people in the gazebo. The priest started the ceremony, and when it came time for the ring, Keith put it on her hand with great reverence. They were pronounced man and wife, after which he decided to follow the earth tradition of kissing the bride.

The reception was great fun, with lunch and dancing. Keith and Eimear opened up the dancing, as everyone agreed what a beautiful couple they made. As he swung her around the floor, he couldn't believe how much happiness was in his life now. Keith told her that, which made her smile.

"I can't believe all the happiness in my life either, because of you. Thank you for that, and for this wedding! It is what I'd always dreamed of as a little girl." Eimear enthused, as she gazed at him with love. Keith hoped she wouldn't want to stay at the reception for too long.

The dancing had been going on for a while when Aiden approached Larmina, who was with Pidge, Hunk, and Sissi. The big guy saw the boy out of the corner of his eye, and whispered to Sissi 'this will be good'. Aiden formally bowed to Larmina, and inclined his head in Pidge's direction.

"Hello Your Grace, may I saw how pretty you look?" Aiden had been told by Keith that it was bad form to tell a woman she was hot when her husband or boyfriend was with her. That had been after he'd heard his step-son and Renson, his friend, go on about Larmina.

"Aiden, yes you may. Thank you for the compliment." Larmina smiled at the young man, who was eyeing her like she was the dessert tray. Pidge shook his head ruefully, as he watched Aiden with Larmina. He moved very close to his wife, and put his arm possessively around her. Pidge knew the ten year old duke wasn't a threat, but it was the principle of the thing in his mind.

"Your Grace, could I dance with your wife?" Aiden had turned to Pidge, as he asked with a hopeful note in his voice. Pidge felt Hunk nudge him, while he saw that Sissi was holding back giggles. He then remembered when he was ten years old, and laughed.

"Aiden, I am fine with it, but it is up to Larmina of course." Pidge announced, as he kissed his wife's cheek. She gave him a saucy look, before she went off to dance with Aiden, whose dream had just come true. He could hardly wait to tell Renson and his other buddies, knowing that they and their older brothers would all be so jealous.

"I think Keith is going to have his hands full with Aiden." Pidge observed, while Hunk and Sissi were too busy laughing about the whole thing.

Keith and Eimear were ready to leave, but he had one more thing to take care of. Looking around the dance floor he found the person he was looking for. She was talking to Bandor, and it reminded him of that long ago dinner with Lance and Allura. Allura had told him that Bandor was interested in Larmina, but announced that nothing was going to happen because the girl was too young.

"Bandor, would you mind if I danced with Larmina?" Keith inquired as he bowed to the king, thinking back to the first time he had seen the young man. He thought of how all their lives had intertwined, because of Voltron. He remembered the comment 'it isn't the destination, it is the journey, and the people you meet along the way'. Keith wondered if it all had been written beforehand, or if their actions, or lack thereof, affected the outcome.

"Larmina, thank you for everything you've done, and for being Eimear's attendant. It meant a lot to both of us." Keith told her, as they danced together.

"I am glad that it all worked out like it did. I heard that you sold Turtle Point to Lance? Did you know that Pidge bought the summer palace for me? What are you and Eimear going to do?" Larmina shot the questions out very fast, hardly giving Keith the chance to answer.

"Eimear has never liked Heligdorre, and I don't think it would be a happy place for me either. It was providence when Lance said he wanted to buy it for your Aunt." Keith told her truthfully. He had not wanted his family's history hanging over his head.

"Listen I wanted to let you know that I have spoken to Dr. Reinhardt about my family's pieces of Clouthier. I am donating them to the museum, for the permanent collection. The workmanship is lovely, and should be seen by everyone. I understand that you are heavily involved in the museum, so I thought I would tell you." Keith offered, and watched as she smiled at the prospect of the pieces being on display.

"Keith, if there is ever anything else I can do for you, please let me know. I admired how you handled finding out about your parents. I know it wasn't easy, but I also know how much your mother loved your father, from reading her journal." Larmina's voice had a solemn note, which touched Keith. They finished their dance, and then Keith and Eimear left.

_**Epilogue**_

Keith took Larmina up on her offer, nine months after the wedding when Eimear gave birth to a little girl. She had been conceived up in Yellowstone, and he understood then the vision he'd had of the child. They named her Emeline Larmina, Emeline for Keith's mother and Larmina for her godmother. Aiden was excited to have a sister, but asked his mother, in front of everyone, when he could have a brother.

Lance would normally have given Keith a hard time about how quickly Eimear was pregnant, but he too busy coping with withdrawal symptoms. Allie was pregnant, struggling with morning, afternoon, and evening sickness. The smell of anything made her miserable, especially coffee and cigarettes. Lance hated not being able to be around her, so he had given up both smoking and coffee. Allie had never loved him more, and they, along with all of Arus, very excited about the baby they would have.

Hunk was there to watch Sissi and her team win a gold medal at the Olympics, while her two brothers both won gold in their events also. Hunk proposed to her at the half time show for the galaxy football team championship game. Stereolatic did the half time show as their farewell performance, and at the end Hunk did his proposal while the crowd went wild.

Their wedding was at her grandfather's estate, and everyone but Fredericks thought it was the best wedding they'd ever been to. Fredericks of course thought he would have done it better, but kept his opinions to himself, being very scared of the Duchess, Sissi's grandmother. Pidge was best man, and then used all of his wedding experiences to write, under a nom de plume, a how to wedding guide with Fredericks. It became a best seller of course, with the chapter on why not to have the jilted suitor as your best man the highlight of the book.

All the team members attended the Clouthier exhibit at the newly renovated Arusian Art Museum. The pieces donated by Keith were the highlight of the show, and Dr. Agathon Reinhardt became well known in galaxy art circles. Toasts were drunk, both to Keith, and to Larmina for her work on the exhibit. Allura held her breath while her niece made a speech, which was well done and tactful.

Keith looked at the little turtle pendant and smiled, as he thought of his mother and wondered what she would have thought of her granddaughter. Somehow he knew she would have loved her, as he thought about the sacrifice she had made for him. Keith said a silent prayer of gratitude, before he returned to talking to his friends.

_**Finis**_

_**Author's second note: Happenings in the epilogue are nine months down the road from the end of the story, and will not show up right away in 'Perils of Pollux'.**_


End file.
